Raul Rosas Jr. Reflects on Frightening UFC Vegas 121 Ending Against Raoni Barcelos

At UFC Vegas 121, Raul Rosas Jr., 21, scored a dramatic fifth-round knockout over veteran Raoni Barcelos, 39, in what turned out to be a chilling finish. The knockout was officially recorded as a slam, but the moment grew darker as Barcelos appeared to lose consciousness during the takedown before hitting the mat.

Barcelos was stretchered out and taken to the hospital but was later confirmed stable, alert, and able to move fully, according to the UFC.

Rosas’ Initial Reaction: Fear and Prayer

"For a second, I didn’t know if he died, to be honest," Rosas said on The Ariel Helwani Show. "But when I calmed myself down a little bit and was just looking, I checked if he was breathing and saw his body breathing, so I was like, OK, he’s not dead, for sure. That made me feel a little bit more peaceful, but still, I was just sitting there praying. I did a quick prayer and hoped that he woke up and went back to his family."

The frightening conclusion cast a shadow over Rosas’ sixth consecutive UFC win. He admitted the scary moment somewhat dampened his celebration.

"It was scary because of that, but to be honest, yes, I was happy about my performance on the side," Rosas reflected. "He’ll probably feel sad about the result, but I’m pretty sure he’ll feel happy about the fight, because we both went out there and we gave it our all and we were willing to do whatever to get our hand raised that night."

Post-Fight Updates and Reflections

Rosas has reached out to Barcelos but has yet to hear back. Reports say Barcelos regained consciousness shortly after the incident and was able to move his limbs. Both Barcelos and his coaches have since issued statements.

The bout was grueling, with both bantamweight contenders pushing each other hard. Rosas remains unsure what exactly caused Barcelos to pass out.

"From my side, I didn’t hit his head," Rosas said. "You can see that on the video, and I even watched [the replay]. I want to see if he remembers and what he can say about that. He’s the one that knows better than anybody, if he remembers."

Rosas described the fourth round as a moment where he caught his breath while Barcelos was aggressively trying to submit him from his back. He noticed Barcelos was gasping for air during that sequence and looked wobbly going into the final round.

"I felt the same thing, but I rested more than him on the floor. He did a lot of work on the floor," Rosas added.

Final Round Push Led to Fight’s End

Knowing he had to step up, Rosas increased pressure in the last round, sensing Barcelos was physically drained.

"There was a light punch to the head before I dove in for the takedown. I don’t know if that could have done it," Rosas said. "When I got ahold of him, he felt so weak, like his body was done. I got even more wind when I went up for the legs, and I got a victory feeling, like I already won the fight. I took him down, and I just knew I got him and would finish him there."

He found it unfortunate Barcelos was unconscious when he hit the ground but speculated that Barcelos may have lost consciousness before the takedown.

Barcelos was ahead on the judges’ scorecards before the stoppage, even with one judge giving him a 10-8 round in the fourth.

Rosas Felt Pressure But Focused on Finishing

"I was down going into the fifth, but in my head it was different. I’m fighting, so I’m not watching it from the outside. My mind had a different scoring," Rosas explained. "I honestly thought I was losing the fight going into the fifth for a different reason, because I thought Round 1 I took, Round 2 could have gone either way. I knew three and four were his rounds, so we could potentially be 2-2, but I was like, Either way, if we go to the judges, he’s probably going to win because the fourth round was a 10-8. I knew it was all his round. He did all the work. That’s why, in my head, I had to finish him. I didn’t want to have that doubt if I won or lost, so I just knew in the fifth I had to go for the finish."

Record Update

This victory brings Rosas’ overall record to 13-1 and 7-1 inside the UFC. It marks his second win over ranked opponents since debuting with the promotion at just 18 years old in late 2018.