Raul Rosas Jr. and Ricky Turcios at the UFC Louisville weigh-in. Photo Credit: Youtube/UFC
After their bout at UFC Mexico City was canceled just hours before, bantamweights Raul Rosas Jr. and Ricky Turcios will finally share the cage, this time as part of Saturday’s UFC Louisville main card.
The bout was originally rescheduled for a week from the Mexico City date but was postponed again, with Rosas looking to improve to 3-1 under the UFC banner. Turcios, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 29, was a definite step up competitively.
Tarsios started the fight hot, screaming and throwing kicks to get the mood going early, but Rosas scored his first takedown less than 30 seconds into the first round, forcing Tarsios to back up to the fence, which he couldn’t do, eliciting chants of “Fuck you, Ricky!” from the crowd, clearly rooting for Rosas Jr.
Midway through round one, Tarsios finally got to his feet, only to be lifted up and taken down again. Tarsios scrambled, but Rosas stayed on his feet and prevented a comeback. Tarsios landed a few elbows, however, and was back on his feet again, albeit briefly. This time, Rosas dragged Tarsios down and nearly got his back, but Ricky finally turned around, got his back, applied a body triangle and locked in a tight rear-naked choke! Instead of defending, Rosas Jr. threw punches backwards and somehow got out of it! Not the cleverest defense, but it worked, as he actually got his back himself to end the round.
These two are merciless#UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/fIMAo1aTry
— UFC (@ufc) June 9, 2024
In the second round, Raul Rosas Jr. got an early takedown, with Turcios sitting along the fence. Again he dropped an elbow and quickly pulled back, but Rosas was still on him. Rosas dragged him down and again took his back, going for the rear-naked choke. Turcios fought back with punches but couldn’t break the body lock. Rosas slid his arm in, first to his face and then under his chin, forcing the tap. It was the biggest win of the teenage star’s career, and he celebrated with practice wins around the cage.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Raul Rosas Jr. defeats Ricky Turcios by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:22
