Sean O’Malley has expressed his view on the recent loss of 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC 287, stating that the young fighter may be better off taking some time to focus on improving his skills rather than rushing back into the octagon. Rosas, who made history as the youngest fighter in UFC history after being signed off Dana White’s Contender Series, suffered a unanimous decision loss to Christian Rodriguez at the event.

While Rosas has previously stated his goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, O’Malley thinks he needs to step back and work on his skills for a few years before returning to the sport. He noted that there are plenty of logical challenges for Rosas in the UFC’s bantamweight division, but that he needs to focus on improving before returning to competition.

O’Malley’s opinion on the loss is that Rodriguez was too much for Rosas, and that the young fighter may not yet have the experience necessary to excel in the UFC. He questioned whether Rosas is training with fighters that are too accommodating to his grappling-heavy style, and noted that the young fighter’s strategy of repeatedly initiating grapples with Rodriguez ultimately fell short.

At the end of the day, O’Malley believes that the loss should be a time for self-reflection for Rosas, who previously claimed he could beat every bantamweight in the division. While Rosas may still have a chance to become a star in the world of MMA, O’Malley thinks he needs to take some time to improve his fighting skills before returning to competition.