If everything goes according to plan, Raul Rosas Jr. doesn’t plan on staying in combat sports for very long.
Rosas Jr. (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will make his fifth Octagon appearance when he faces Aori Qileng (25-11 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in the opener of UFC 306 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) on Saturday at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Rosas Jr., 19, has four years left to break Jon Jones’ record and become the youngest UFC champion in history. If he does that, he will have a few more years to fight before he can retire.
“I’ve already said: suffer now and enjoy later,” Rosas Jr. told ESPN. “So now I’m just going to go full throttle, no brakes, try to achieve my dreams, end my career pretty early and enjoy later.”
“I just want to achieve my dreams of becoming the youngest UFC champion, having the belt, defending the belt a couple of times and then probably retiring. Hopefully by the time I’m 25, my career will be over and I can enjoy time with my family and do whatever I want.”
Rosas Jr. views Qileng as a tough test and if he can beat him, he will have his sights set on the top 15 bantamweights.
“I feel like I’m on the right track,” Rosas Jr. said. “This is my chance now. This fight on Saturday will put me in a very good position with four wins in the UFC and four finishes. So that’s what I’m focused on now and whatever comes next, I’ll be ready.”
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For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Raul Rosas Jr. wants to become youngest UFC champion and then retire at 25