38-Year-Old Faces ‘El Niño Problema’ at UFC 326
Rob Font has progressed well in his over-decades-long career with the UFC by winning multiple unanimous-decision matchups that went for all scheduled rounds. However, this strategic bull faces another at UFC 326 who wants to duplicate a decades-long career. This competitor is none other than a young fighter who has made a significant mark in his four years with the combat sport. He goes by the nickname ‘El Niño Problema’, but is formally known as Raul Rosas Jr. His significance comes from being the youngest fighter to sign with the UFC at Dana White’s Contender Series event. So far, ‘El Niño Problema’ has finished almost all of his fights before all rounds expired and has even had a few unanimous decision victories.
Font could seize victory in this fight while carrying a record of 11-1-0 and has the advantage of decreased fight time with the fights he’s been in so far. Although his fight record is not as lengthy as Font’s, ‘El Niño Problema’ is still developing. Also, he does have an established grappling game going into this fight. It is likely he’ll use techniques like arm bars, rear-naked chokes, or a neck crank to submit Font. If he does not, Rosas Jr. is certainly going to be mindful of the distance between him and his opponent. He will have to close in to make that factor an advantage, favoring close body shots, and feigning takedowns to create openings in Font’s overall defense.
The 38-year-old Font will be anticipating these while looking to maximize his advantage in reach over Rosas Jr. Being in the combat sport for so long, it’s almost a guarantee he’ll utilize time as his ally for this fight. He is aware of the speed of his opponent, while at the same time betting, he can interrupt that momentum with a few tricks of his own. For instance, he carries an orthodox stance, which will be an interesting style against his opponent’s switch stance. Rosas Jr. could maneuver around that easily, but it could cost him time if he cannot. Having a longer fight record of 22-9-0, Font’s averages on his statistics far outweigh those of Rosas Jr. However, the biggest takeaway is that the 38-year-old has experienced younger fighters before in his second-to-last fight with Jean Matsumoto. He won with a close split decision. Ideally, he can pull off another win through unanimous decision with this fight if he keeps his distance while holding back any openings from his bullish strikes.
‘El Niño Problema’ will be anticipating the bull to actually keep distance from him so he can acquire more strikes for a drawn-out fight. That result would be detrimental to Rosas’s fight career, and as far as statistics go, he is the projected winner of this fight. It is understandable, given he is younger, and by all accounts displaying speed that should make experienced fighters cautious. Font could use the likelihood for Rosas to come in close as a way to capitalize on his reach while putting strikes on the board in his favor. This would make a dangerous gambit, but there’s really no other way if Font seeks the fight, not going for a split decision win. Rosas Jr. will not allow for that occurrence, as he will make a play for feigning takedowns to create several openings that the 38-year-old will not be able to defend quickly enough from.
Ultimately, it’s no surprise that Rosas Jr. will see ultimate victory in the form of a unanimous-decision or submission win. This is largely due to his younger age, which belies the unarguable gifts like speed and the ability to dodge the incoming strikes from Font. He will get close to the 38-year-old during the fight, making him easy to hit, but at the same time allowing for the younger fighter to connect his strikes easily. It will be a great fight to witness for three rounds as ‘El Niño Problema’ makes a play for a possible ranked spot in the Men’s Bantamweight Division. Finally, the best way to witness if this fast finisher can tame the strategic bull he faces will be to tune in at 9:00 PM EST on Paramount+ or stream live through ESPN+!
