Meet Mitch Raposo the short notice UFC 302 replacement
The UFC is set to return to Newark, New Jersey for an action-packed fight night on June 1. The UFC 302 event will be headlined by the lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. All in all, the card has 12 fights to offer on the night but there is one fighter in particular to look out for.
The opening fight on the card is a flyweight bout including Andre Lima. He was initially supposed to face Nyamjargal Tumendemberel but, following visa issues on Tumendemberel's side, that fight could not go on. But another fighter was ready and willing, and he is set to make his debut opposite Lima at UFC 302.
Mitch Raposo is from Fall River in Massachusetts and has been a professional fighter since April 2019. Prior to that, Raposo went undefeated in his six-fight amateur career that spanned from 2017 to 2018.
In April 2019, Raposo made his professional debut at Cage Titans 43, and he walked away with a first-round submission victory following an arm triangle choke. Raposo would go on to be undefeated throughout the rest of his Cage Titans run, which lasted three more fights.
For his fifth professional fight, Raposo made his promotional debut for Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA at the CES 61 event. He won via unanimous decision, pushing his record up to five wins and no losses.
In 2021, Raposo would find himself taking part in The Ultimate Fighter season 29. His showcase bout was against Liudvik Sholinian, and he lost via unanimous decision.
Raposo would go on to get another shot at the UFC by taking on Jake Hadley in that year's Contender Series. He would lose via a second-round submission but he let his taste of the Octagon elevate his fighting once he left.
With a 5-1 record, Raposo fought at Combat Zone 75, and he won via a third-round submission. He followed that up with a return to CES MMA, and this would be a match to propel Raposo towards greatness.
Upon returning to CES MMA, Raposo found himself in the main event of CES 71 against Flávio Carvalho for the CES flyweight championship. Just 19 seconds into the second round, Raposo delivered a right hand knockout to become champion.
In 2023, Raposo fought at Cage Titans 59, and secured a first-round knockout. In January 2024, Raposo had another match at Cage Titans, and he also won that via knockout. Now, he finds himself as a short-notice replacement with another shot to step into the UFC Octagon.
Mitch Raposo steps up on short-notice to fight André Lima
Raposo makes his UFC debut at UFC 302. This is a major card in the UFC's 2024, and this is also a great opportunity for Raposo to make an impact upon landing.
Raposo, with this match, could make a statement to the entire flyweight division. He could be exactly what the division needs, in terms of a fighter who could really shake things up.
With this being his 11th fight and him only being 25-years-old at the time of the fight, Raposo still has quite a long road ahead of him. With his career in the UFC, the sky is the limit and he could achieve so much.
By serving as the early prelims curtain-raiser, this is an opportunity for Raposo to prove that the UFC missed out big time by not signing him earlier. He will certainly be looking to put on quite the show for the fight fans at Prudential Center and at home, and he could set the pace for the rest of the evening.
This is an opportunity for Raposo to introduce himself to the world, and it can be expected that he will make the most of it.