Raoni Barcelos has finally spoken for himself after the frightening finish that ended his UFC Vegas 121 main event with Raul Rosas Jr. The 39-year-old bantamweight first left a comment on a UFC Brasil post, then followed it with a video statement from his hospital bed, both confirmed by and. He was stretchered out of the Meta APEX and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. In his own video, Barcelos said, 'I'm doing really well. I'm getting all the tests done here at the hospital. I just have to do what the hospital requires, and that's it, guys.' He added, 'the way I went out wasn't how I wanted it to happen; I really wanted to be the champion. So, on to the next one. I'm here; I'm going to come back, come back stronger.' Kamaru Usman weighed in on the Pound 4 Pound Show, saying Barcelos' control of the fight before the finish wasn't a surprise given how tough he's always known him to be. Our tracker has Barcelos ranked 13th at bantamweight with an Elo of 1602, against Rosas Jr.'s 12th ranking and 1590 Elo.
Sources (3)
We summarise the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work.
- Raoni Barcelos releases first statement since scary UFC Vegas 121 loss to Raul Rosas Jr. (MMA Fighting)
- Raoni Barcelos releases first video statement from hospital after disturbing knockout (Yahoo Sports)
- Kamaru Usman Explains Why Raoni Barcelos’ Domination Against Raul Rosas Jr. Until Scary Loss Was ‘Kind Of Expected’ (LowKick MMA)
This story ran in the September 29, 2026 edition of the daily show.