Raul Rosas Jr. won an absolute table-cruiser, striking bantamweight veteran Raoni Barcelos with a fifth-round knockout that left the Brazilian on a stretcher last night (Sat., Sept. 26, 2026) at UFC Vegas 121 LIVE on Paramount+ at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
All in all, this main event clash was an absolutely epic display of heart, technique, guts and glory. It was Rosas’ first UFC main event, but the 21-year-old came out unconcerned. Of course, this left him open to some massive strikes from Barcelos that instantly put the action out of action. Rosas was there every step of the way as his shot looked better than ever, but Barcelos landed at a greater clip.
Through four rounds, this bantamweight clash was easily one of the best fights of the year. That it was staged at Meta Apex is almost criminal, but you never know what will happen on these less desirable UFC fight cards. Fortunately, the attendees got much more than they bargained for.
Both fighters were gassed, bloodied and dug deep into their gas tanks to begin the fifth battle. Rosas, who had a massive cut on the bridge of his nose, began to stick around the cage. He was able to sweep one leg and drag Barcelos to the canvas, but something happened to the 39-year-old veteran on the way down. The replay wasn’t even final, but Barcelos appeared to hit his head or neck on the fence and was immediately out. Rosas knew something was wrong and motioned for the referee to stop play. It was pretty scary.
Check out the video highlights below:
Click for complete results, coverage and highlights from UFC Vegas 121 HERE.
