Raul Rosas Jr. has his first main event booked in the UFC. On September 26, he takes on veteran Raoni Barcelos in the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Also, for Barcelos, it is his first main event in the UFC. The 39-year-old Brazilian is 18 years older than his opponent, Rosas Jr.
The UFC announced the UFC Vegas 121 bantamweight booking during the UFC 330 broadcast. Rosas Jr. is currently ranked No. 12 in the media rankings, while Barcelos sits at No. 13 in the media rankings and No. 9 in the meta rankings.
[ LIVE SEP 26 on @ParamountPlus ]
Improving Every Time Entering The Octagon
Raul Rosas Jr. earned his UFC contract in 2022 during the Contender Series. The 17-year-old fighter beat Mando Gutierrez via unanimous decision. Just after turning 18, Rosas Jr. burst into the UFC with a first-round face-crank submission over Jay Perrin. While he initially looked unstoppable, he suffered his first and only career defeat in his sophomore outing, losing to Christian Rodriguez via unanimous decision.
He ended the year with a quick TKO win over Terrence Mitchell. In 2024, Rosas Jr. fought twice and won both times against Ricky Turcios and Aoriqileng. After also winning in 2025 against Vince Morales, the young fighter got a shot at the rankings earlier this year, taking on Rob Font. Rosas Jr. outgrappled Font to win a unanimous decision. Now, ranked in the bantamweight division, he takes on Raoni Barcelos.
Crafty Veteran On A Big Winning Streak
Before signing with the UFC in 2018, Barcelos had already won multiple titles in other promotions. Barcelos had an amazing start to his UFC career, winning his first five fights and earning two bonuses for ‘Fight of the Night’ performances. The Brazilian fighter looked to close in on a ranking spot but had a very bad period between 2021 and 2023, winning only one of five fights.
Also, in his fight against Cristian Quiñonez in 2024, he struggled early on but was able to turn things around and beat the Mexican fighter in the third round. It was the beginning of the resurrection of Barcelos in the UFC. First, he beat highly-touted prospect Payton Talbott, followed by wins against former champion Cody Garbrandt and Ricky Simón in the same year. In his most recent fight, he defeated Montel Jackson, bringing his winning streak to five and entering the rankings. Now he takes on Raul Rosas Jr. in his first UFC main event.
UFC Vegas 121 – September 26
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Norma Dumont vs. Ailín Pérez
- Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simón
- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
- John Castañeda vs. Alatengheili
- Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards
- Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell
- Mickey Gall vs. Sedriques Dumas
- TUF 34 Bantamweight Finale
- TUF 34 Women’s Strawweight Finale
Raul Rosas Jr. Headlines UFC Event for the First Time in Career