Raul Rosas Jr. engineered a late comeback victory in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas on Saturday, but the focus immediately shifted to his opponent, Raoni Barcelos, who was hospitalized after the bout.
Rosas (13-1) trailed on all three judges' scorecards entering the fifth round of the bantamweight bout. He initiated an aggressive attack in the final round, clinching against the fence. During the clinch, Rosas slammed Barcelos to the mat. Barcelos' head appeared to strike either the canvas or the cage, leading to him appearing unconscious. Referee Herb Dean stopped the bout at 1 minute, 38 seconds into the round.
Barcelosremained on the canvas after the stoppage. Medical personnel carried him from the cage on a stretcher and transported him to a Level 1 trauma center, where he underwent a CT scan. The UFC issued a statement confirming Barcelos was "stable, alert and responsive, with full movement."
Barceloscoach, Davi Ramos, provided an update on social media late Saturday. "Everything is fine, everyone can stay calm," Ramos wrote in a translated post from Portuguese.
A visibly shaken Rosas addressed the crowd during his postfight interview. He asked everyone to "please pray for Raoni Barcelos," describing him as "a warrior."
Barcelosm at 39 years old, presented Rosas with his biggest career test. Rosas was the youngest fighter to sign with the UFC in 2022 when he was 17 years old. The 17-year age gap between the two fighters marked the widest age difference in any UFC main event in history. Barcelos' record fell to 22-6.
