Raul Rosas Jr. proved he has a superior rear-naked choke game by overcoming Ricky Turcios on the mat.
On the UFC on ESPN main card at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, 19-year-old Rosas Jr. (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) fought Turcios (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the ground, eventually securing a bare rear choke at 2: 22 of the 2nd round.
Turcios tried to hit Rosas Jr.’s head right at the gate. He refused a glove touch and instead yelled at Rosas Jr. before throwing a hard shot.
A few moments later, Rosas Jr. was in control from top position after a takedown, and fans began chanting “Ricky sucks” for his early antics.
The rest of the round would be spent in on-screen fights and exciting rear-naked choke sequences from both men. Turcios had his locked, but Rosas Jr. slipped to grab the choke, but neither man was able to finish in the first round.
Rosas Jr. came out of the gate quickly in the second round, landing a nice knee before taking another takedown and finding his way to Turcios’ back. Before long, Rosas Jr.’s arm was under his neck again, but this time there was no escape for Turcios, who was forced to tap out.
During the post-fight interview, Rosas Jr. dedicated the fight to his recently deceased trainer and asked Dana White to increase the bonus to $100,000 so he could buy his mother a house.
Rosas Jr. has now won back-to-back fights. In his previous match, he stopped Terrence Mitchell with riding punches for a first-round stoppage. The young prospect is now 3-1 in his UFC career and hopes to earn a spot on the upcoming card at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Turcios entered on the heels of a split decision victory over Kevin Natividad, which came in November 2022. The loss to Rosas Jr.
Updated UFC on ESPN 57 results include:
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Raul Rosas Jr. Ricky Turcios via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22
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Bruno Ferreira defeated. Dustin Stoltzfus via TKO (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 4:51
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Zach Reese defeated. Julian Marquez by TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:20
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Puna Soriano defeated. Miguel Baeza by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
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Ludovit Klein defeated. Thiago Moisés by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Carlos Prates defeated. Charlie Radtke by knockout (body blow) – Round 1, 4:47
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Brad Katona defeated. Jesse Butler by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
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Montana De La Rosa defeated. Andrea Lee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Daniel Marcos defeated. John Castaneda by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Denise Gomes defeated. Eduarda Moura by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
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Taylor Lapilus defeated. Cody Stamann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Puja Tomar defeated. Rayanne Amanda via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 57.
