Forty seconds. That's how long Raul Rosas Jr. needed to tap former UFC interim champion Colby Covington.
"El Niño Problema" made quick work of Covington in their grappling match at Tuesday's Hype FC card in Rome, Italy. The match, which was scheduled for 10 minutes, served as the main event of the card.
Rosas Jr. is known for his strong grappling and submission skills, but few expected Rosas Jr. would submit a much bigger Covington, who's a solid wrestler, in less than a minute. Rosas Jr. competes at 135 pounds in the UFC, and Covington used to fight at 170 pounds.
As soon as the match started, Rosas Jr. took Covington's back and immediately began attacking his neck to eventually get the rear-naked choke finish. You can watch Rosas Jr.'s impressive
win in the video below (via X):
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— Hype Fighting (@Hype_Fighting) November 3, 2026
Slick in transition. @RaulRosasJr8 #HypeFighting pic.twitter.com/jvKwZfTkYj
Rosas Jr. made headlines years ago when he became the youngest fighter to join the UFC at 17. Since, he's competed for the promotion eight times, going 7-1 and submitting two of his opponents. Rosas Jr. last competed in September when he defeated veteran Raoni Barcelos, who went unconscious towards the end of their fight in big health scare. The 22-year-old rising contender has yet to be booked since.
Covington, a three-time UFC title challenger, retired from MMA earlier this year. He's been competing in freestyle wrestling for RAF, where he's defeated many notable MMA names to win the RAF crossover cruiserweight title.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Raul Rosas Jr. submits Colby Covington in under 40 seconds
