Preview: UFC on ESPN 57 ‘Cannonier vs. Imavov’

Bantamweights

Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-3, 2-1 UFC)

ODDS: Rosas Jr. (-230), Turcios (+190)

The UFC has kept this pairing together even as issues keep coming up, and it’s easy to see why, as this feels like the correct next test for Rosas. A lot was made of Rosas signing with the UFC at 17 years old in 2022, though “El Nino Problema” was 18 when he made his promotional debut a few months later. Rosas’ approach is still fairly one-dimensional, built almost entirely around his wrestling and grappling, which worked well enough for all of one fight in the UFC. He scored a first-round submission over Jay Perrin but gassed himself out badly after being unable to finish Christian Rodriguez, who has since established himself as a bit of a prospect killer. Rosas rebounded by quickly running over Terrence Mitchell, which suggests his ability to pace himself might still be a concern, so the hope is that Turcios can step up to the plate and at least make him prove himself in some deeper waters.

Of course, Turcios isn’t particularly reliable himself, at least if his last few fights are any indication. A standout personality on the UFC’s 2021 revival of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Turcios has typically made his hay with a messy but aggressive style that has relied on creating chaos and outlasting his opponents. That won him the season, but his first post-“The Ultimate Fighter” performance was absolutely baffling. Turcios suddenly pivoted to a more patient approach that involved throwing a lot of feints and accomplishing nothing, as he lost a lackluster decision to Aiemann Zahabi. A 2022 win over Kevin Natividad was at least a return to the Team Alpha Male rep’s more active ways, though some of that was likely pressed by Natividad, making it a bit difficult to parse exactly what Turcios’ gameplan is going to be here. Turcios isn’t exactly known for his ability to control his fights even at his best, so Rosas should find some early success and could just close the show in short order. With that said, Turcios is also a talented grappler in his own right, even if he doesn’t maximize those skills, so Rosas figures to be in for a tough three-round fight, win or lose. The question is if Rosas has enough in his gas tank to win at least two of those three rounds. While Rodriguez’s recent success suggests he might have just been the absolutely wrong matchup for Rosas, the prospect looked poor enough there that he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Turcios via decision.

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Cannonier vs. Imavov
Jacoby vs. Reyes
Rosas Jr. vs. Turcios
Ferreira vs. Stoltzfus
Marquez vs. Reese
Baeza vs. Soriano
The Prelims