19 Year-Old UFC Prospect Reveals Shocking Timeline for Retirement

One rising UFC star has revealed his stunning retirement timeline.

UFC CEO Dana White looks on during an event. / (via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

One young UFC prospect isn't here for a long time, he's here for a good time.

The youngest fighter on the roster is back this weekend with Raul Rosas Jr. kicking off the Noche UFC prelims from the Sphere in a bantamweight bout against "The Mongolian Murderer" Aoriqileng, who is 12 years his elder. Rosas looks to notch UFC win number four, another step towards his goal of becoming the youngest UFC Champion, currently held by Jon Jones at 23 years old and 8 months.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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"Suffer Now, Enjoy Later"

While being a 19 year-old in the UFC surely has its perks, Rosas Jr. admits there are some downsides, training constantly in the gym while his high school friends are off to a completely different life in college.

"A lot of my friends come visit, but I can't still hang out with them because I have to train, I have to do this when they're here for vacation. Suffer now, enjoy later," Rosas told ESPN MMA. "So right now, I'm just gonna go all gas, no brakes, try to accomplish my dreams, finish my career pretty early, and enjoy later."

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Early Retirement Plans

Set to make his fifth walk to the Octagon on Saturday night against Aoriqileng, Rosas says the rest of his career could end up being a sprint at this point with "El Nino Problema" wanting to walk away from MMA far sooner than anybody could have ever thought.

"I just wanna accomplish my dreams, which is to become the youngest UFC champion, have the belt, defend the belt a few times, and probably retire. So, hopefully, by 25 years old, my career is all said and done, and I'm able to enjoy time with my family and whatever I decide to do," Rosas revealed.

Retiring from MMA by 25 years old, especially in the UFC, is largely unheard of but we'll see if that's the case for Rosas as he moves ahead in his bantamweight run this Saturday. If all goes according to plan, Rosas would have won the belt by 23 and then retired two years later.

Putting in that overtime 😤

Raul Rosas Jr opens up #UFC306 this Saturday!

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Rosas Has Business To Take Care Of First

A fast track to the title isn't out of the question for Rosas once he's ranked, of course, believing he'll fight a big name or someone in the top 15 next after his upcoming fight this weekend.

"People don't really know him, but it's a good test for me," Rosas said of fighting Aoriqileng. "He's good at what what he does. I think it's a step up in competition, so I'm excited to go out there and and pass the test this time. So, I think it's gonna put me in a good spot."

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