Raul Rosas Jr. Has Come of Age in the UFC

It's just a word of excitement that's gonna bring a, a smile to your face, and, uh, whenever you win, whenever you feel like hella excited, hella pumped about something, you're just like, chee wee wee.

All right, Sports Illustrated here with now the 21-year-old Raul Rosas Junior.

You were signed to the UFC at such a young age, uh, made your debut at 18 years old.

Do you feel like you've missed a part of that life?

Outside of fighting, yeah, yeah, I was, um, but, uh, yeah, I think I missed out on voting for sure.

What other things when you're around that age that like some of your friends maybe got to do that you weren't able to do because you were so focused on fighting?

I think going to, uh, after parties at like house parties and shit, but, uh, it's not something that I'm like I wish I could have done it, you know, because, uh.

Where I am right now, you know, as a young fighter, when you get that first paycheck, I want to ask you a couple of questions.

What was the dumbest thing you bought when you got that first paycheck?

I just thought I was rich and I invited everybody to eat every single day and, uh, just, I looked at my bank account and everything was gone.

What was the smartest thing you bought?

The smartest thing I bought.

I honestly did not buying nothing smart.

I think, uh, the minivan was probably the smartest thing I bought.

Yeah, I talked to, uh , a guy that used to be in your division, Al Jermaine Sterling used to be the champion about weight cutting, right?

And he, he's of the mind frame that in MMA they should do away with weight cutting because it's so hard on the athletes.

They suffer health issues.

He said the fights would be more competitive if they did same day weigh-ins.

As someone so young that probably doesn't have as much trouble cutting the weight as some of these older guys , what are your thoughts on weight cutting?

I mean, as long as we make 35 on the scale, I think it's a fair game, you know, but I think if.

They did do the same day weigh-ins.

I think it would be, uh, the same shit to me because an advantage to me for sure because I don't struggle making weights sometimes, so I don't know.

I think it would be an advantage for me, but either way, as long as you make 35, it's a fair game as someone so young, you've talked about, you know, thinking about.

Stepping away from the game early, maybe 25 years old after you win a UFC title.

What does Raul Rosas do with the rest of his life if he's not fighting?

I, uh, shit, I go party.

I go put everything on red.

I do, I do, I do everything I couldn't do during all this, this time in the sport, uh.

That, ah, I had to put on the side, you know, but honestly, like being for real, if I retire at 25, I think I'll help other people get ready and help other young people get to where I am and uh give them good advice and uh and tell them to stay out of parties, tell them to stay out of out of women, tell them to stay out of out of the casino, out of clubs, you know.

Is that the biggest lesson you would tell young fighters coming up is to stay away from all those outside distractions?

I think the biggest one.

As a woman, to be honest, have you had some issues?

Uh, no, but I've had a lot of, I've seen a lot of people fall down in the sport, sadly from women, you know.

So, uh, like Muhammad Ali said it once, the most important thing in the training camp is be in bed by 10:00 p.m. by yourself.

Alright.

And then last one for me, it's the first time Sports Illustrated's got to talk to you.

You're famous for your catchphrase chee wee wees.

Can you tell us about how that came about and can you give us what it would mean in English for you?

Uh, the same thing.

I mean, uh, English and Spanish, uh, it's just a word of excitement that's gonna bring a, a smile to your face, and, uh, whenever you win, whenever you feel like hella excited, hella pumped about something, you're just like, chee wee wee.

Thank you so much, man.