Conor McGregor has sent a message of support to Raul Rosas Jr who is set to make history at UFC 282.
The 18-year-old will become the UFC’s youngest fighter when he takes on Jay Perrin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
After hearing about Rosas Jr, Notorious quit sparring with Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz to wish the teenager well in his UFC debut and future career.
“This is amazing! Youngest ever. Good luck, young man, in your career with the UFC,” McGregor tweeted.
In September, Rosas Jr, who was just 17 at the time, improved his perfect professional MMA record to 6-0 with a dominant decision win over Mando Gutierrez in Dana White’s Contender Series.
After seeing the Mexican teenager in action, the UFC boss offered him a contract with the MMA leader, making him the youngest fighter to ever sign with the promotion.
“What a war, what a technical fight it was,” White told reporters at the DWCS 55 post-fight press conference.
“Both guys pushed each other as hard as they could. And for a 17-year-old to behave like he did in this fight, I was blown away.
White was particularly impressed with how Rosas Jr was able to pick up the pace for the full 15 minutes of the biggest fight of his life.
“That’s one of the things that impressed me the most. And I loved how active he was. He’s not one of those guys who’s a jiu-jitsu guy who just hangs around, and whatever,” he added.
“He is always looking for something, how skilled he is, how he takes the back. When you get his back, how can he get out. Everything this kid did tonight impressed me and especially his cardio.
“There was never an adrenaline rush where he looked exhausted at one point. There was never a lull in the fight, with either guy.
Despite his impressive performances, some have remained concerned that Rosas Jr is too young to be in the UFC, but White is not one of those people.
“After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC,” he continued.
“I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He is absolutely special. The number of fighters who blew me up saying ‘Oh my God. This kid is for real. This kid is legit. Impressive.'”
Rosas Jr, who hopes to become a UFC champion at the age of 20, must first get rid of Perrin who is 11 years his senior but has suffered back-to-back losses since joining the UFC more early this year.
The 10-6 American is most likely fighting to save his spot in the UFC this weekend and will be looking to derail Rosas Jr’s hype train before he even leaves the station.
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