Raul Rosas Jr. explains UFC Fight Night 237 withdrawal: 'I hated making that decision'

Though he ultimately decided not to fight Saturday at UFC Fight Night 237, Raul Rosas Jr. said the choice was not an easy one.

Rosas Jr. (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) withdrew from his main card bout vs. Ricky Turcios (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) minutes before the scheduled walkouts Saturday in Mexico City, citing illness.

On Monday, Rosas Jr. shed light on his decision to withdraw and the symptoms he experienced.

“Sorry to everyone who was waiting for my performance,” Rosas wrote in an Instagram story. “I was sick all day with dizziness, light headed, & cough. I tried my best to recover to go out and perform still and couldn’t. Got wrapped, warmed up, did everything I could to shake it off but felt like sh*t. If (you know) me (you know I) wouldn’t pull out just cuz. I hated making that decision but i had to do it. If you want to make another story in your head that’s cool. I’ll be back soon tho god bless you all.”

It’s unclear when Rosas will fight again. UFC CEO Dana White announced this past Saturday that Rosas vs. Turcios was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 238 this coming Saturday in Las Vegas. However, Turcios disputed that shortly thereafter.

Rosas, 19, signed with the UFC at 17 years of age, which made him the youngest fighter to sign with the promotion in company history. He won his promotional debut vs. Jay Perrin before a loss to Christian Rodriguez. He most recently competed in September when he defeated Terrence Mitchell.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.