UFC bantamweight Raul Rosar Jr. admitted that he was worried Raoni Barcelos may have died during their fight at UFC Vegas 121.
In the fifth round of their back-and-forth war, which was one of the best fights of the year so far in 2026, Barcelos appeared to suffer from a medical episode, which ended the fight shockingly.
For those in attendance and those watching on their screens at home, everyone was worried about what was going on with Barcelos, who did not appear to be moving.
But Rosas, who shared the cage with Barcelos that night, was extremely worried that something fatal may have happened to his opponent.
Raul Rosas Jr. Admits Grim Thoughts About UFC Vegas 121 Fight
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Rosas was asked to describe what went through his head at UFC Vegas 121 when he saw Barcelos go down, and Rosas admitted that he thought at first his opponent may have died in the cage.
“For a second, I didn’t know if he died, to be honest. Then I calmed myself down a little bit and checked if he was breathing. I saw his body breathing, so I was like, ‘OK, he’s not dead for sure.’ That made me feel a little more peaceful, but I was still sitting there praying. I just did a quick prayer and hoped that he woke up and went back to his family. In the fifth, I put the pace back on, and I think his body could have just shut down from tiredness… When I got a hold of him, he felt so weak. His body felt done. Now that I see that he was out, I’m like, shit, maybe that’s the reason he felt so weak, because he was already out,” Rosas said.
“For a second, I didn’t know if he died, to be honest. Then I calmed myself down a little bit and checked if he was breathing. I saw his body breathing, so I was like, ‘OK, he’s
MMA is a Dangerous Game
Like all combat sports, MMA is a dangerous game where the athletes know that serious bodily harm can happen to them.
Fortunately, we have not had a death during a UFC fight, but there have been deaths in MMA fights in other promotions around the world, and of course, we have seen deaths in other combat sports such as boxing and kickboxing.
What happened to Barcelos is yet another reminder of what these fighters put their bodies on the line for, as anything can happen to someone during a fight that can leave them permanently injured or, even worse, deceased.
Barcelos appears to be recovering well, as the fighter and his team said on Monday, two days after the fight, that he is recovering from what happened during the Rosas fight, though they still don’t have answers about what exactly happened.
Thankfully, doctors were able to attend to Barelos immediately after the stoppage happened and were able to rush him to a local Las Vegas hospital. In situations like this one, time is of the essence, so it’s paramount to get critically injured fighters to the hospital quickly.
In the end, it looks like Barcelos is going to be OK, and that’s the most important thing.
Raul Rosas Jr. Was Worried That Raoni Barcelos May Have Died