UFC 326: Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr. Preview & Prediction
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A potential changing of the guard moment at bantamweight sees Rob Font defend his spot in the rankings from the upstart Raul Rosas Jr.
Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr. facts
What time are Rob Font and Raul Rosas Jr. expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 326
What TV channel is UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Not televised
Where can I stream UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 main card
Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira (Lightweight)
Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight)
Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr. (Bantamweight)
Drew Dober vs Michael Johnson (Lightweight)
Gregory Rodrigues vs Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 prelims
Cody Garbrandt vs Xiao Long (Bantamweight)
Donte Johnson vs Cody Brundage (Middleweight)
Ricky Turcios vs Alberto Montes (Featherweight)
Cody Durden vs Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (Flyweight)
Su Mudaerji vs Jesus Santos Aguilar (Flyweight)
Rafael Tobias vs Diyar Nurgozhay (Light Heavyweight)
Lee Jeong-yeong vs Gaston Bolanos (Featherweight)
Luke Fernandez vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Rob Font: Can the veteran play spoiler once again and turn back another hyped prospect at 135 pounds?
A UFC competitor for more than a decade, Rob Font (22-9) may finally be on the verge of slipping out of the promotion’s Top 15 after a long and successful career as mainstay of the bantamweight rankings. A polished boxer with underrated takedown defense, Font flirted with title contention throughout his peak in the promotion but ultimately came up short whenever faced with a truly elite contender, posting losses to the likes of Cory Sandhagen, Jose Aldo, and Deiveson Figueiredo. The New England Cartel man also has a reputation for turning back prospects in the vein of Adrian Yanez and Kyler Phillips, although his loss to the surging David Martinez in his last appearance indicates that those days could well be coming to an end.
Raul Rosas Jr.: "El Nino Problema" looks to justify what many see as an undeserved chance to break into the rankings
The youngest signing in the promotion’s history, big things have been expected of Raul Rosas Jr. (11-1) ever since he joined the UFC at just seventeen years old. Now 21, “La Nina Problema” has improved considerably since arriving as an exceedingly green younger contender. While his striking leaves a lot to be desired, Rosas Jr. has always been an excellent grappler and now looks to have grown into his adult frame in terms of size and strength. The Mexican prospect is 5-1 in the promotion since earning a contract on the Contender Series, with his only loss coming to Christian Rodriguez nearly three years ago. However, he has yet to face a contender with the skill or experience of his latest opponent.
Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr. prediction
With the greatest of respect, Rosas Jr. does not deserve a shot at the rankings at this point in his career. Raoni Barcelos is on a four fight win streak that includes names like Payton Talbott and can’t get a sniff of a ranked opponent, while “El Nino Problema’s” best win is arguably over Vince Morales.
As such, there’s a strong chance that this could be too much, too soon. Font has fallen off considerably as of late, but he’s no walk in the park. Moreover, he has history with turning away prospects attempting to launch their names into the rankings at his expense. The New England Cartel man is well known for flatlining Adrian Yanez in a big upset, and he also has decision victories over the likes of Kyler Phillips and Jean Matsumoto. There’s a solid argument to be made that any of those fighters would be favored to beat Rosas Jr.
"El Nino Problema" has improved considerably since his UFC debut and Font has clearly lost a step; this could conceivably be the moment where the wheels fall off completely and Rosas Jr. manhandles him on the ground to score a submission or a dominant decision. However, given that he’s still leagues ahead of anybody the Mexican has beaten to date, I like Font to stuff the takedowns, box Rosas Jr. up and lean on his veteran craft across three rounds to earn the victory.
Prediction: Rob Font to win
