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

At UFC Vegas 121 on Saturday, Raul Rosas Jr., 21, stunned fans by knocking out veteran Raoni Barcelos in the fifth round, securing his first UFC main event victory. What was officially recorded as a slam knockout quickly became a worrying moment when Barcelos appeared to lose consciousness during the takedown before hitting the mat. Barcelos, 39, was carried out of the Octagon on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. The UFC later confirmed he is stable, alert, responsive, and moving fully.

Rosas Shares His Initial Reaction

"For a second, I didn’t know if he died, to be honest," Rosas told Uncrowned on Monday's 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."

He added, "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 scary finish cast a shadow over what was one of the year's best fights. Despite extending his winning streak to six, Rosas admitted the moment was sobering.

"It was scary because of that, but to be honest, yes, I was happy about my performance on the side," he said. "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 gave it our all and were willing to do whatever to get our hand raised that night."

Aftermath and Uncertainty About the Knockout

Rosas reached out to Barcelos afterward but has yet to hear back. Reports say Barcelos regained consciousness the same night and could move his limbs. Both Barcelos and his coaches have since issued statements.

The fight was a tough five-round battle between bantamweight contenders. Rosas remains unsure about what exactly caused Barcelos to lose consciousness.

"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."

He described the fourth round where Barcelos had him in a tight submission attempt.

"I caught my breath a little bit because I was chilling. He was on my back, trying to finish me so hard. He was squeezing the whole time, and when I was watching the fight replay, when he was on my back, he’s gasping for air because he didn’t choke me. When he goes back to the corner from the fourth to the fifth round, he was a little bit wobbly from tiredness. I felt the same thing, but I rested more than him on the floor. He did a lot of work on the floor."

Rosas knew he had to push the pace in the final round and believes exhaustion may have played a role in Barcelos’ condition.

Regarding strikes, Rosas mentioned landing a light punch before going for the fight-ending takedown.

"I don’t know if that could have done it, because when I went in for the takedown—because my corner told me, ‘Let’s try that.’ 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 reflected on the troubling detail that Barcelos seemed unconscious before hitting the mat.

"It was unfortunate that when he went down he was out, but I think he could have been out before that. Now that I see he was out before that, I’m like, S***. Maybe that’s why he felt so weak, because he was already out."

Judges Had Barcelos Ahead Before the Stoppage

The Brazilian was reportedly winning on the scorecards, with all three judges favoring him before the fight ended.

Rosas acknowledged the pressure after Barcelos dominated the fourth round, which was scored 10-8 by one judge.

"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 said.

"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."

He explained his mindset:

"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."

Rosas' Record and UFC Career

• Overall record: 13-1
• UFC record: 7-1
• Age joined UFC: 18 years old (late 2018)
• Wins over ranked fighters since joining UFC: 2