UFC president Dana White believes 17-year-old MMA prospect Raul Rosas Jr is ready to fight in the promotion now. AFP
UFC president Dana White believes 17-year-old MMA prospect Raul Rosas Jr is ready to fight in the promotion now. AFP
UFC president Dana White believes 17-year-old MMA prospect Raul Rosas Jr is ready to fight in the promotion now. AFP
UFC president Dana White believes 17-year-old MMA prospect Raul Rosas Jr is ready to fight in the promotion now. AFP

Dana White signs up 'absolutely special' 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr to UFC roster


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Dana White has described Raul Rosas Jr as “absolutely special” after the 17-year-old became the youngest fighter in UFC history to sign for the promotion.

The young bantamweight stole the show on Dana White’s Contender Series early on Wednesday, when he secured a unanimous decision win against Mando Gutierrez.

White offered Rosas Jr a contract before the conclusion of the show at the UFC Apex, with the teenager promptly accepting.

"I've never seen anything like it," White told reporters afterwards. "Not only that: the amount of fighters blowing me up saying, ‘You're crazy not to [sign him]. He's absolutely, positively talented. He's special. He's different."

Rosas Jr, who doesn’t turn 18 until October 8, dominated 25-year-old Gutierrez throughout, mostly through his impressive grappling. He almost finished his opponent in the first round with a seldom-used Suloev stretch submission.

Rosas Jr, whose professional record reads 6-0, had finished all of his previous opponents. Mexican-born, he fought in the UWC promotion in Tijuana, and trains out of Las Vegas.

"I knew I was going to get that contract," Rosas Jr told reporters after the win. "I've been saying it since the beginning. Since I was born, I knew this was going happen.

"Everybody shouldn't be surprised. I'm the new king in here, so I'm coming for that belt now. I'm going to be champion when I'm 20. Respect to everybody, but I'm going to be champion when I'm 20, or even earlier. Nobody is going to stop me."

White added: “What a war, what a technical fight it was. Both guys pushed themselves as hard as they could. And for a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it. Blown away.”

On whether Rosas Jr was too young to compete in the UFC, White said: “Not off what I just saw. After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC.

“I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special.”

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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Updated: September 21, 2022, 5:47 AM