Bantamweights
Raul Rosas Jr. (6-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Jay Perrin (10-6, 0-2 UFC)As the youngest signee in UFC history, it will be interesting to see how Rosas fares early on. His September showing on Dana White’s Contender Series was a point of discussion, even though the idea of teenagers in mixed martial arts is nothing new; the UFC roster is dotted with fighters who got their professional start before the age of 20. Rosas just happens to be the youngest competitor the UFC has featured thus far. He was still 17 years old during his DWCS appearances and makes his UFC debut at the age of 18. As a fighter, Rosas’ game is still one-dimensional, but it is a good dimension. “El Nino Problema” is a talented grappler who finished his first five professional fights on the mat. Beyond that, what little striking Rosas has done suggests he is wild but not particularly effective, though to his credit he has typically wasted little time trying to immediately get things to the mat and play to his strengths. There figures to come a point where Rosas cannot easily outwrestle or outgrapple his opponent and could be in major trouble, and Perrin could easily be the guy who puts him there. Winless in his two UFC bouts since signing in February, Perrin is a solid fighter, coming from a boxing family but finding most of his success when he can also get his opponents to the ground. Perrin does not have much in terms of weaknesses, but he does read as a bit of a Quadruple-A fighter without a standout skill at the UFC level. “The Joker” relies a lot on aggression and attrition, and he has been athletically overmatched and unable to find a way towards a winning fight against Mario Bautista and Qileng Aori. Rosas does look talented enough to outwrestle Perrin and win an ugly fight against a tough opponent, but that is far from a sure bet. If Perrin can stuff one or two takedowns, particularly in the late going, there is a chance he can immediately derail the Rosas hype train. Still, the pick is Rosas via decision.
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