Rosas Jr. Reveals Ambitious UFC Checklist Before 25

Raul Rosas Jr. laid out an ambitious list of goals he wants to accomplish before walking away from mixed martial arts in his mid-twenties.

The 19-year-old bantamweight, who became the youngest fighter to sign with the UFC at 17, still plans to retire by 25 if he checks off every item on his list, he told Full Send MMA. That checklist includes winning a UFC title, defending it multiple times, and moving up at least one weight class before hanging up his gloves.

What Rosas Jr. Wants Before Retirement

Rosas Jr. returns Saturday at UFC Vegas 121 in his first main event, facing Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos at the Apex in Las Vegas, according to Sherdog. The prospect enters on a five-fight win streak and said his timeline for retirement depends entirely on when he runs out of goals. "If by 25 I've accomplished everything I want, I'm just gonna step back from the sport," Rosas Jr. said. "The goal is to get the belt and then defend it a couple of times, try to challenge myself and go up a weight class, maybe two. After I've run out of goals, it could be 26, 27, 28; whenever I'm done with my goals, I'm gonna step out of the game."

The young fighter first floated the idea of early retirement shortly after joining the promotion in 2022. He signed with the UFC while still a teenager and has built momentum in the bantamweight division with five consecutive victories.

Whether Rosas Jr. can compress a championship reign and weight-class migrations into six years remains to be seen. His fight with Barcelos on Saturday marks his first UFC headliner.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Raul Rosas Jr. has wild UFC checklist before potential retirement at 25