Raoni Barcelos was taken to hospital after an alarming end to his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr. on Saturday night. Barcelos had recovered from a difficult opening round and was ahead on the scorecards when he went limp during a takedown in the fifth.
Rosas was awarded a knockout victory at 1:38 of the final round at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The result improved his professional record to 13â1 and ended Barcelosâs five-fight winning streak. But the immediate concern inside the arena was the condition of the 39-year-old Brazilian, who received medical attention in the cage before being taken away on a stretcher.
Medical update: Barcelosâs coach Davi Ramos said the fighter was âfineâ and undergoing a CT scan after being taken to hospital. Journalist Ariel Helwani reported that Barcelos was conscious, able to speak and able to move his fingers and toes. No scan result or confirmed diagnosis had been released at the time of this update.
Barcelos had taken control before the finish
The 21-year-old Rosas began the five-round bantamweight fight with leg kicks and straight left hands. He opened a cut on Barcelos in the first round, though Barcelos responded with body punches and a trip takedown.
The second round shifted toward Barcelos. He attacked the body repeatedly, mixed in takedowns and met Rosasâs pressure with punches of his own. In the third, Barcelos briefly took Rosasâs back during a grappling exchange. Rosas turned into top position and landed ground strikes, but Barcelos returned to his feet and scored another late takedown.
Barcelosâs strongest stretch came in round four. He took Rosas down, moved behind him and threatened a rear-naked choke before adjusting his attack on the neck. Rosas survived, but Sherdogâs ringside account scored rounds two, three and four for Barcelos. Sherdog also reported that Barcelos was ahead on all three official judgesâ cards entering the fifth.
Before the fight, Barcelos had predicted that his wrestling and jiu-jitsu would challenge Rosas. âHeâs never fought someone like me,â he told MMA Fighting in a fight-week interview. For much of the main event, his grappling gave Rosas precisely that test.
In the fifth round, Barcelos scored an early takedown, but Rosas scrambled back to his feet. They exchanged strikes and clinched again. Rosas then executed a trip near the fence. Barcelos landed awkwardly and went limp. Rosas stepped away as referee Herb Dean stopped the contest and medical staff came in.
The recorded result is a fifth-round knockout by slam. Replays and ringside accounts have not settled precisely what caused Barcelos to lose consciousness. A specific head, neck or spinal injury has not been confirmed.
Rosas asks for prayers as Barcelos is taken to hospital
Rosas asked the crowd to pray for Barcelos during his post-fight interview. Medical staff had entered the cage after Barcelos went limp, and he was subsequently taken out on a stretcher.
The post-fight broadcast said Barcelos was at a local hospital for a âhead and neck scan,â according to Sherdogâs ringside report. Sherdog also cited journalist Leo GuimarĂŁes, who reported at 10:53 p.m. ET that Barcelos was conscious. No scan result or confirmed diagnosis had been released.
The abrupt finish drew worried reactions on X. âEnds it? No no no, something wrong happened to Barcelos,â wrote Antonio Llanos. Another user, juju, posted: âPrayers man that was scary I hope heâs okay frrr man.â
Others focused on how the fight had unfolded before the stoppage. âRaul got lucky, Barcelos was winning,â wrote an account named Yeah Naah. That view reflects Barcelosâs strong middle rounds: he was ahead on the judgesâ scorecards entering the fifth, according to the post-fight report. The X comments are reactions to the footage, not evidence of Barcelosâs medical condition.
Rosasâs fifth-round knockout remains the official result. The precise cause of Barcelos losing consciousness, and the outcome of his hospital evaluation, have not been confirmed.
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