Las Vegas — Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr. has been a long time coming, and it finally looks like it will in fact arrive at UFC 326 in Las Vegas this Saturday.
The veteran versus prospect affair is a big one for the bantamweight division, and had a false start back in September when Rosas (11-1) was forced to pull out of the Noche UFC bout. David Martinez stepped in, beating Font on short notice, but the promotion has opted to put the match-up back together here.
“I’m excited more than anything to be back in the cage,” Rosas told media outlets including Cageside Press on Wednesday. “Getting a top 15 opponent is what I’ve been looking for. I’ve been working so hard for this opportunity, so I’m ready to make the best out of it.”
With Font, Rosas Jr said that “I expect him to come hard,” then betrayed his young age by laughing and restarting his answer. “I expect him to come with everything, because he’s trying to prove something. I’m try to prove that I’m ready, that it’s my time, I belong here and I know he’s trying to prove that he’s still here despite his age.”
“We’re both saying ‘despite our age,’ so we’re going to see what time it is, and I believe it’s my time.”
Age has been the narrative around Raul Rosas Jr. since he appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series as a 17-year old. The Mexican youngster is still just 21.
Veteran Font has main evented and been in wars, and that excites Rosas. “That’s what excites me about this fight, because since I got into this company, I’ve been looking for fights like that to test myself. So nothing more than to get started with Rob Font, because after this, I know it’s going to [be] only tough fights from here. So I’m ready to get started.”
Speaking of his age, Rosas Jr. has shocked many by saying he might retire by 25. Of course, he got started young, but that’s still retiring before one’s athletic prime. Any number of people have tried to talk him out of it, but it could still come to pass.
“A lot of people have talked to me about it because I’ve said it since I came into the company. But honestly God has a plan for us, so that’s just me having a vision. But it could probably be potentially longer, you never know,” stated Rosas.
Retirement at 25 all comes down to whether or not he has achieved his goals by then. “Once I get everything I want in this sport, I get the job done, I get my titles, then I’m out of the sport. So far it’s going good, exactly as planned. If I get ranked for example this Saturday, then I’m a 21-year old ranked, and I’m a few fights away from the title. The 25-year old age might be looking good for retirement.”
In the meantime, Rosas is one of the faces of the new generation of fighters. The fighters born in 2000 and onwards. That’s another thing that excites him, he told Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“I just think that the new generation is here. The sport is evolving. You see young people in all the sports now dominating,” he stated. “That’s what excites me about specifically this fight too. It’s the new generation against the old generation. We’re going to see who’s got it.”
Watch the full UFC 326 media day appearance by Raul Rosas Jr. above.
