Raul Rosas Jr. is turning the page on the calendar year with a bit more emphasis and urgency than others.

2025 wasn't all so kind to the now 21-year-old bantamweight prospect. He only competed once, a March victory over Vince Morales, and was forced to pull out of a matchup vs. ranked opposition in Rob Font in September.

But now, Rosas (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is healthy once again – and he's looking to return as soon as possible.

"I'm hoping to try to get on the January card," Rosas recently told MMA Junkie Radio. "I've been even ready for any pullouts. I just haven't had any luck."

A rib injury was to blame for Rosas' inactivity. He sustained it prior to the Font booking and thought he could compete, but that turned out to be a miscalculation.

"What happened was I had a rib injury," Rosas said. "Right before I got the fight with Rob Font, when they called me, I was in bed with the injury, doing nothing. But I took it, hoping that I was going to be able to get healthy like in a week or two to put together like two or three weeks of camp. I wasn't getting any better, so that's why I pulled out. The day of the fight, which was Sept. 14 or something, I was healthy already. I was good to go injury-wise. I wasn't in shape, but injury-wise I was ready to start training again. I got in shape quick and I just didn't have any luck after that."

As for whom he wants his return to be against, Rosas isn't picky, but he wants someone ranked. There are a lot of fighters he'd eagerly fight, though there is at least one exception.

"I think if it was up to me, David Martinez is Mexican, putting up the Mexican flag, so I would like to face anybody else," Rosas said. "But at the end of the day, right now, at this point, I just want to get back in there with whoever. I want to test myself. I want somebody tough, though, top 15, because I really want to prove myself and test myself."

Should he start off the year with a ranked win, Rosas sees it completely within the bounds of reality that he's in the title contention by this time next year. Could the UFC be ready for a "Chiwiwi" champion?

"I think if I fight in January with the top 15 and I get up in the rankings, up early in January, then after that I want to stay active and fight like March, fight like every two months or three months, just staying out of injuries so I can stay active," Rosas said. "Hopefully by the end of the year at least I'll be in the top five or in talks for a title shot."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Raul Rosas Jr. healthy, sheds light on next UFC moves