Raoni Barcelos is still waiting on an official diagnosis nearly three weeks after losing consciousness during his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr. on Sept. 26 at the Meta APEX. Barcelos was ahead on the scorecards when his body shut down, and he was taken to a Level 1 trauma center. Doctors have not determined the cause, and he says he is undergoing tests and an MRI in Las Vegas while visiting the UFC Performance Institute daily for physical therapy and neurological checks. Barcelos said retirement "hasn't been ruled out" and that he feels better every day.
Raoni Barcelos still has no official diagnosis nearly three weeks after losing consciousness during his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr. on Sept. 26 at the Meta APEX, and he says retirement "hasn't been ruled out."
Barcelos was ahead on the scorecards when his body shut down. He was taken to a Level 1 trauma center, and doctors have not yet determined the cause. He says he is undergoing tests and an MRI in Las Vegas while visiting the UFC Performance Institute daily for physical therapy and neurological checks. Barcelos added that he feels better every day.
The Brazilian is a 22-6-0 bantamweight ranked 15th in the division. He is 39 years old and trains with the Laerte Barcelos Team. A pressure-heavy offensive fighter, he lands 4.77 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and averages 2.88 takedowns per 15 minutes, along with one submission attempt.
Rosas, the opponent in the main event, is 13-1-0 and ranks 10th at bantamweight. The 22-year-old American represents 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Las Vegas and fights out of a switch stance. His grappling-heavy approach produces 5.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, while he lands 2.12 significant strikes per minute at 43 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Barcelos' health is the immediate concern, and the lack of a diagnosis leaves his timeline for any return unclear.
- At 39, a possible retirement would remove a ranked name from the bantamweight top 15.
- The daily neurological checks and MRI suggest doctors are still working to identify what caused the collapse.
Barcelos has not set a date for a decision on his future, and his priority remains finding out what happened inside the cage.
