Raul Rosas Jr. Defeats Ricky Turcios

Another stunning stoppage for the ‘Problem Child’! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Raul Rosas Jr. on defeating Ricky Turcios at UFC Fight Night in Louisville, Kentucky. In the main card fight contested in the UFC’s bantamweight division, the 19-yearold from Clovis, New Mexico, earned a submission victory at 2:22 minutes of Round 2 and garnered a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov, also known as UFC on ESPN 57, was contested in front of 19,578 spectators inside KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Bringing in a total of $2.5 million in gate revenues, the event set a new record as the highest-grossing UFC Fight Night of all time. With six fights on the Main Card, the event was broadcast live on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN+ platform.

Currently, the youngest fighter signed to the UFC, Monster Energy’s Rosas Jr. (9-1) came to Louisville after recently defeating Terrence Mitchell at UFC Noche Fight Night in Las Vegas in September 2023. His opponent, American fighter Ricky Turcios (12-4), had been inactive since his decision victory against Kevin Natividad in November 2022.

The fight between Rosas Jr. and Turcios was initially slated for February 2024 but was canceled at the last minute when Rosas Jr. pulled out due to illness. Tensions had been building since, with Turcios publicly criticizing his opponent for the canceled fight. Now, it was time to settle the score in Louisville!

The animosity was visible when Turcios refused to touch gloves and yelled insults at Rosas Jr. right before the fight. In the opening moments, Rosas Jr. evaded a hard kick and proceeded to take Turcios to the ground within less than one minute. In the ensuing scramble on the canvas, Rosas Jr. suddenly found himself defending against a forceful rear-naked choke attempt before locking in a choke of his own, with neither fighter able to secure a finish in the opening round. The second round saw Rosas Jr. bring the pressure by landing a swift step-in knee, followed by yet another successful takedown. Dominating from the top position, Rosas Jr. worked to secure a body triangle while looking to slide his arm under his opponent’s neck.  It was all over quickly when Rosas Jr. locked in the rear-naked choke, forcing Turcios to immediately tap out. No escape! At 2:22 minutes of Round 2, Rosas Jr. was named the winner by submission.

The dominant show of grappling prowess also earned the upcoming UFC bantamweight a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.  In his post-fight interview, Rosas Jr. called for UFC President Dana White to double the bonus payout: “Dana, $100G’s, it’s time to go big! I’m 19 years old now. I want to buy my mother a house. It would be such a blessing to be able to do it right now.”  Nicknamed “El Niño Problema” (The Problem Child), Rosas Jr. became the 2019 Youth World MMA Champion in 2019. He made his UFC debut in December 2022 and has garnered attention ever since by earning victories and performance bonuses. Saturday’s win marked the first two-in-a-row victory for the youngest fighter signed to the UFC.

What’s next for Rosas Jr.? Asked about his next bout, he expressed hopes to fight at UFC 306 inside the Las Vegas mega venue, The Sphere during UFC Noche 2 in celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 14. “I don’t know who [will be next], but September in the Sphere baby, let’s go!” Stay tuned for more from Rosas Jr.