Raul Rosas Jr just recently managed to emerge victorious in a 155lbs Submission Only Series professional division tournament in Orange County, California, despite only being 16 years-old. This wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either, as the division included two black belts that he had to beat on his way to the final, before he managed to claim the grand prize. His massive achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that there was also a blue and purple belt division for the same weightclass, yet he chose to challenge himself by taking on more experienced competitors.
This is something that seems to be becoming more and more common these days as every generation of competitor just gets younger and younger. Already some of the best grapplers on the planet are in their late teens and early twenties, but now there are some amazing talents coming up through the ranks despite not even being able to drink or drive. The Ruotolo brothers are probably the best example of elite talent surfacing at a young age and despite only recently being awarded their brown belts, they’ve both already got a number of high-profile scalps in their collection.
Now, Raul Rosas Jr can safely name himself among that list of young and talented grapplers. He’s no stranger to competition either as he’s spent a lot of time in the NAGA teen divisions before making the move up to the adults. Not just this, but he’s also the 136lbs IMMAF Youth World Champion with a growing Amateur MMA record, so he’s definitely someone worth keeping an eye on for the future.
