Everyone wants to know what happened Raoni’s Barcelos.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer yet.
The 39-year-old Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran found himself in a terrifying scene in the fifth round of his bout. UFC Vegas 121 main event vs Raul Rosas Jr. last night (Saturday, September 26, 2026) at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Barcelos suddenly collapsed near the fence and was unresponsive as medical personnel rushed to the Octagon (look at it). He was eventually transported to a local hospital where he was reportedly awake and conscious.
What exactly caused the terrifying incident remains unclear.
Dr. Brian SuttererMD offered several possible explanations on his YouTube channel shortly after the fight. Sutterer is a board certified in sports medicine and physical medicine and a rehabilitation physician who completed a residency and sports medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. He’s also built a large following online by breaking down high-profile sports injuries into easy-to-understand terms.
However, it is extremely important to emphasize that Sutterer did not examine Barcelos and does not have access to his medical records or images. His analysis was based entirely on publicly available footage.
In other words, it wasn’t a diagnosis. It was an explanation that doctors could explore after such a frightening and unusual collapse.
Why it wasn’t a knockout
Sutterer warned that he would immediately assume that Barcelos had received a traditional knockout.
“I think when you say an unconscious athlete, the immediate assumption is that it was a knockout, it was a concussion, a brain injury,” Sutterer explained. “If, in fact, there is an athlete who has collapsed here, an athlete who has collapsed, which could be caused by a traumatic brain injury, but it could also be a heart problem or something.”
There was no clear shot just before Barcelos collapsed.
Barcelos stood against the fence as Rosas dragged him to the canvas. His head appeared to make light contact with the cage during the sequence, but Sutterer said he would be “extremely surprised” if that relatively minor impact alone caused what followed.
What doctors might look for
Sutterer identified severe exhaustion, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance as possible causes after the nearly 22-minute grueling mixed martial arts (MMA) bout.
He also discussed significant damage around Barcelos’ left eye. In rare cases, increased pressure around the eyes can trigger a syncopal reaction and cause a person to faint.
“It’s something like crazy total exhaustion, electrolyte disturbances, dehydration, or even something like increased intraocular pressure in the eye that caused the syncopal reaction,” Sutterer said, outlining the more optimistic possibilities.
There was also at least one encouraging sign during the immediate medical response.
Sutterer noticed that the district doctor quickly checked Barcelos’ carotid pulse. Medical personnel did not begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or use a defibrillator before removing Barcelos from his cage, suggesting he had a pulse and was not in cardiac arrest at that point.
However, doctors should also rule out a much more serious possibility.
Because Barcelos had just survived a long struggle that included repeated blows to the head, Sutterer explained that medical professionals had to consider structural traumatic brain damage, including intracranial bleeding.
Unlike a typical concussion, brain bleeding can worsen over time as blood builds up and pressure inside the skull increases. Therefore, a CT scan as soon as possible would be an important part of evaluating this type of collapse.
Again, there’s no indication right now that Barcelos had a brain bleed or any of the other ailments Sutterer talked about. These were just potential explanations that medical professionals are investigating and ruling out.
Until more information is released by Barcelos, his team, the UFC or doctors, anything that isn’t available is just speculation.
The most important news right now is the encouraging news: Barcelos is reportedly awake and conscious after being transported to the hospital.
After the horrific scene that unfolded inside Apex, this is about the best update anyone could ask for while waiting to find out what really happened.
Click for complete results, coverage and highlights from UFC Vegas 121 HERE.
