Raoni Barcelos is doing well after a scary end to his fight with Raul Rosas Jr., which saw the Brazilian collapse unconscious in the cage during the fifth round for no apparent reason.
Barcelos and Rosas Jr. went to war in the Meta Apex Main Event on Saturday night (highlights here). All three judges had the 39-year-old’s neck 39-37 after four rounds, but Barcelos appeared to lose consciousness as Rosas Jr pressed him against the cage. His arms suddenly went limp and Rosas Jr. took him down where he lay with his mouth open.
The fight was quickly stopped and doctors were called. The UFC had Barcelos sent to a Level 1 trauma center for a CT scan and extensive evaluation. Promotion announced that Barcelos was “stable, alert and responsive and fully mobile.”
Now Raoni’s Barcelos coach Davi Ramos has done it taken to social media along with a major update on his fighter status.
“Raon is doing well, he has all his senses, he’s moving his leg, his arm, his arm, he’s conscious, he’s talking, he’s fine,” Ramos said in Portuguese (translation via MMA Fighting). “He’s going through some tests and he’ll be coming to talk to you guys pretty soon. I just wanted to let you all know to keep calm. Please pray for him.”
“He is going through all the tests that are standard in this situation. He needs to rest because of what happened, but God willing, everything will be fine. He will be with us soon and will talk to you. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages, positive energy, prayers and kept us all in your prayers.”
The freak stoppage at 1:38 of the fifth round snaps Barcelos’ 5-fight winning streak and cost him one of the biggest wins of his career, a huge upset against Payton Talbott in 2025. Some argue that the fight should have been taken to the scorecards for a decision instead of deciding Rosas by JKO.
“We had a great fight,” Ramos concluded. “We’re in a sport that unfortunately we can’t predict, but we know for sure that we did our best. Raoni is a warrior, a phenomenal fighter and he showed you that with all his technique, skill and heart that he has. He showed everything he wants to go to, where we all want to go, with all the work we’ve done.”
“Congratulations to him and thank you all for your messages. Keep praying for him and he will be back with us for another great show very soon.”