Raul Rosas Jr. secured his fourth consecutive victory with a unanimous decision against Vince Morales at UFC Mexico. However, he revealed that his biggest challenge wasn`t a late submission attempt from Morales, but the extreme altitude.
Despite clearly leading on points as the third round began, Morales attempted a comeback by locking in a D’Arce choke. Rosas appeared to struggle momentarily, but ultimately defended against Morales`s adjustments and avoided being submitted.
Looking back, the 20-year-old fighter stated that he was never in danger of tapping out. He was confident in his choke defense, based on his training experiences.
“Honestly, I wasn’t going to tap no matter what,” Rosas explained. “In any choke, I could have stayed there for five minutes. To choke me, it has to be a perfect choke. In training, I even let people get deep chokes on me, and they gas out before I tap. Especially for this camp, knowing Vince is good at D’Arce chokes – I trained with him before – I was prepared. I never tap.”
Rosas added, “During this camp, my brother and others would apply deep D’Arce chokes, and I would escape. I felt very comfortable. Morales’s deepest choke was about 55 percent deep, a bit uncomfortable but not enough to make me pass out.”
Rosas admitted surprise that Morales even attempted the D’Arce choke, considering it hadn`t worked during their previous training sessions.
“I thought he knew from training that he couldn`t tap me with that choke,” Rosas said. “I’ve let him get deep D’Arces on me before, and he squeezed hard for a minute without getting a tap. But I guess he figured it was worth a try.”
While the submission wasn`t a threat, Rosas emphasized that the altitude in Mexico City was a major obstacle.
Fighters often struggle with the thin air at high altitudes. Despite his preparation, Rosas had never experienced such intense exhaustion as he did during the fight.
Rosas had to change his fight plan because he felt completely drained after the first round.
“When the first round ended, I was dead,” Rosas recounted. “Completely empty. My arms were useless. That’s why I stopped striking. Usually, I relax in the corner, but this time I immediately asked for water because I was so dehydrated. Then I saw him bouncing around, fresh, and I was shocked. I was dead.”
“I had a flashback to my fight with Christian Rodriguez where I gassed out and lost. I refused to let that happen again. I decided I would win no matter what. I didn`t know how, but I was determined to push through and win. After that, I kind of blacked out and just kept fighting and managed to win.”
Rosas’s only career loss was against Rodriguez in 2023, where he lost a decision after running out of energy.
He was determined to avoid a repeat and pushed himself to victory despite extreme fatigue.
“I was dead, especially in the third round,” Rosas reiterated. “It was the most tired I’ve ever been in a fight. That’s why I’m proud of myself for digging deep.”
“Even the next day, I was still out of breath, like I’d just finished a 10-mile run. My body was so exhausted from pushing myself so hard in that fight that it took a whole day to recover my breath.”
Considering the difficulties he faced, Rosas is proud of his ability to overcome adversity and win. While not his most flawless performance, he gained valuable experience battling through challenges and securing a victory.
“Not perfect, but perfect in a way,” Rosas reflected. “I gained experience fighting at altitude, learning to manage my energy when exhausted, and staying in the fight. I always aim for finishes, but this experience is valuable because I need to learn to manage three rounds and win fights even when I can’t finish.”
Regarding fighting in Mexico City again, Rosas acknowledged the need for better altitude acclimation. However, he is glad to have gained this experience and knows what to expect in the future.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” Rosas stated. “If it’s a significant fight, a big opportunity, then yes.”
“My main hesitation about fighting in Mexico City isn`t the altitude, but the difficulty in bringing my full team – training partners, coaches. It becomes a smaller camp, maybe just three people. That’s the hard part. But regarding the altitude, I’d do it again. Now with this experience, it should be easier.”
