ROME, Italy — It took UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. just 43 seconds on Tuesday to force a tap from Colby Covington, who once held the interim UFC welterweight belt, in the Hype Fighting Italy headliner at PalaPellicone.
Rosas, the 22-year-old bantamweight, took the 10-minute, submission-only grappling match on about three days’ notice. Covington had been scheduled to face Dillon Danis, who pulled out with an injury. When the promoter asked at Sunday’s press event for a volunteer to fill the slot, and Rosas, seated in the audience, raised his hand.
Despite giving up plenty of size to Covington, a former Division I All-American wrestler, Rosas scored an early takedown, climbed onto his opponent’s back and sank in a rear-naked choke for the tap.
Afterward, Rosas thanked Covington for taking the match and said his real goal is still to become the youngest champion in UFC history. He also noted that Conor McGregor was in the building.
Covington said he started slowly and had not done jiu-jitsu in years, and he made no excuses. He is preparing for a bout with Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi in about two weeks.
Rosas carries a six-fight MMA win streak, most recently a victory over Raoni Barcelos, and is expected to face Clay Guida in another grappling match later this month.
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