The topic that deals with the question of talent and hard work inhabits the daily discussions of human beings. Some think that tirelessly chipping stones open quarries, while others believe that certain men are born with the joy of being able to excel in their activity thanks to the divine gift, of the touch of the chosen one.

The UFC too opened up the discussion by finding the diamond in the rough Rail Rosas Jr. The boy who amazed Dana White in the Contender Series and who managed to make history after winning a contract that made him the youngest rookie in the history of the company. While he may be one of the chosen ones by the divine, he too has faced unimaginable hardships to be where he is right now. He even almost died before getting into MMA. In fact, that near-death experience is the one that motivated him to never stop.

The bantamweight is all geared up for his upcoming fight against Qileng Aori at UFC 306. So the UFC made a short video on him where he and his family talk about his journey so far. It was during this touching conversation that it was revealed that a 7-year-old Rosas almost died from a burst appendix that went undetected. How? Well, that’s because he never complained about his severe stomach ache to his family. It was only after his father insisted by looking at him that Rosas was taken to the doctor and the burst appendix was discovered. The then 7-year-old was then rushed to the ER as he revealed, “They took me to a city that was hour and a half away in an ambulance. I remember waking up, and I think I was supposed to die within a few hours.”

However, he miraculously survived. And not just that, he also took part in an MMA contest just a few weeks after making recovery despite having no MMA experience. “After being in the hospital for a few weeks with my appendix, we went to a tournament where my father was going to compete. When I got there and saw kids my age signing up, I told them to sign me up too. Because I wanted to compete. I really felt no pain; I was just excited to do something I liked. I remember that I didn’t even know a single submission. But I wanted to fight kids my age. And I did very well.” 

It feels weird to even think that the submission expert once didn’t know how to submit his opponents during his fights. Especially when, in his very debut at only 15 years old against Eduardo Velázquez in Tijuana, he managed to obtain the victory by submission. But with a career that bloomed this early, El Nino Problema wants it to end with him being young as well.

Raul Rosas Jr. plans to retire young

At just 19 years old, by the time Saturday arrives, Raul Rosas Jr. will have already had the experience of having fought five fights for the UFC. However, with a whole career ahead of him, the bantamweight prospect anticipates a premature retirement. In the interview with ESPN, he said, “I just want to accomplish my dreams, which is to become the youngest UFC champion, have the belt, defend the belt a few times, and then probably retire. Hopefully by 25 years old, my career is all said and done, and I’m able to enjoy time with my family and whatever I decide to do.”

The record for the youngest champion in UFC history is held by Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ was consecrated in March 2011 as Light Heavyweight champion at 23 years and 242 days. So with a win against China’s Qileng Aori, Rosas would want to inch closer to his dream. He wants to continue flirting with history. To grant his father the best reward for a need that came from suffering. To achieve a new mark in the UFC record book and give the answer to the most common debate among human beings: talent, with enough work and sacrifice, defeats any opposition.