Fall River MMA Star Officially Signed To The UFC

Mitch Raposo, UFC Flyweight.

It’s what the Fall River MMA prospect has wanted for so long and his dreams will finally become reality on June 1^st when he makes his promotional debut for UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey.

Raposo joined Michael and Maddie to share the exciting news and how his faith and determination led to the most exciting phone call of his life.

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Mitch Raposo’s MMA Journey

Growing up, Raposo had two older brothers to deal with. Wrestling was second nature.

A neighbor of his trained in mixed martial arts and it caught young Raposo’s attention. He quickly gravitated towards MMA and hasn’t left the gym since then.

Raposo has collected a handful of titles in his young professional career and quickly got the attention of the UFC. He was given the chance to fight for a UFC contract on Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2021.

He went in as the number 1 prospect but ultimately came up short.

Six months later, he went on to fight for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he suffered another loss.

“I was 22 years old, it was a tough time,” he said. “I went through some dark times to get back to these lights.”

Some people may give up after two losses on the biggest stage, but Raposo never slowed down.

“I never lost faith, and I knew my time would come eventually,” he said. “I just had to get through the dark times. I still can’t believe this. I don’t think I’ll believe this until fight week starts.”

Raposo Gets the Call from Dana White

Manifestation, visualization, and faith in God helped Raposo continue his path toward his dreams. After three years of climbing his way back, he got the opportunity to fight for the Contender Series again coming up in August. Last week, his manager told him that the fight was off, but for good reason.

“I was just having a bad day, so I said a prayer and said, ‘God, take this anxiety off me and let me focus on this fight.’ Two minutes later, my manager called me.”

Raposo had been chosen to step in for an injured fighter on next week’s card. He was signed to a four-fight deal on the spot.

“I’ve been through so many fight weeks and I understand what it takes,” he said. “I know I belong here, I belong in the UFC. When I was 22, maybe I didn’t believe that yet. Now, it’s my time.”

Surrounded by local stars like Yorgan Decastro, Kris Moutinho, and Calvin Kattar, Raposo feels more prepared than ever and feels blessed to represent the city of Fall River on the biggest MMA stage in the world.

“Fall River is great, I think the city has so much potential,” he said. “I love that I’m from Fall River…everyone comes from places that has good and bad, and I feel like I can be somebody that came from the city and be a good example.”

Watch Mitch Raposo make his UFC debut on Saturday, June 1^st for UFC 302 on ESPN+.