Raoni Barcelos is “doing well” after a scary ending to his fight with Raul Rosas Jr. that saw the Brazilian collapse unconscious in the cage for no obvious reason during the fifth round.
Barcelos and Rosas Jr. went to war with each other in the Meta Apex main event on Saturday night (highlights here). All three judges had the 39-year-old bantamweight up 39-37 after four rounds, but Barcelos seemed to lose consciousness as Rosas Jr. clinched him against the cage. His arms suddenly went limp and Rosas Jr. took
him down where he lay unresponsive with his mouth wide open.
The fight was quickly waved off and medical attention sought. The UFC had Barcelos sent to a Level 1 trauma center where a CT scan and comprehensive assessment were done. The promotion reported that Barcelos was “stable, alert and responsive, with full movement.”
Now Raoni Barcelos’ coach Davi Ramos has taken to social media with a bigger update on his fighter’s condition.
“Raoni is doing well, he has all his senses, he’s moving his leg, his arm, his hand, he’s conscious, he’s talking, everything is fine with him,” Ramos said in Portuguese (translation via MMA Fighting). “He’s undergoing some tests, and pretty soon he’ll be here to talk to you guys. I just wanted to let you know so you can all stay calm. Keep praying for him.”
“He’s undergoing all the tests that are standard in a situation like this. He’ll have to rest because of what happened, but God willing, everything will be fine. He’ll be here with us soon and he’ll be talking to you guys. Thank you to everyone who’s been sending messages, positive energy, praying and keeping all of us in your prayers.”
The freak loss 1:38 into the fifth round snaps a 5 fight win streak for Barcelos and cost him what would have been one of the biggest wins of his career, up there with his massive upset of Payton Talbott in 2025. Some are arguing that the fight should have been moved to the scorecards for a decision rather than ruled a TKO win for Rosas Jr.
“We had a great fight,” Ramos concluded. “We practice a sport that we can’t predict, unfortunately, but we know for sure that we were doing our best. Raoni is a warrior, a phenomenal fighter, and he showed you that with all the technique he has, all the skill and heart he has. He showed everything about where he wants to go, where we all want to go, with all the work we’ve been putting in.”
“Congratulations to him, and thank you all for the messages. Keep praying for him, and pretty soon he’ll be back here with us to put on another great show.”
