Raul Rosas Jr. Reflects on Harrowing UFC Vegas 121 Finish Against Raoni Barcelos

Rosas Recalls Frightening End to UFC Vegas 121 Bout

At UFC Vegas 121, Raul Rosas Jr. faced Raoni Barcelos in a main event that ended with a chilling scene. The 21-year-old Rosas secured his first UFC main event victory by knocking out Barcelos in the fifth round. What was officially called a slam knockout took a terrifying turn when Barcelos appeared to lose consciousness mid-takedown, even before hitting the mat.

Barcelos, aged 39, was stretchered out and rushed to the hospital. The UFC later confirmed he was stable, alert, responsive, and able to move all limbs.

Rosas Shares His Immediate 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 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 Impact of the Terrifying Finish

The brutal ending cast a shadow over what many considered one of the year's best fights. Rosas acknowledged the mix of emotions after extending his winning streak to six inside the UFC.

"It was scary because of that, but to be honest, yes, I was happy about my performance on the side," Rosas 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."

Since the bout, Rosas has reached out to Barcelos but hasn't heard back yet. Barcelos reportedly regained consciousness the night of the fight and was able to move his limbs. Both he and his coaches have since released statements.

What Caused the Fight to End So Abruptly?

The bantamweight clash was a grueling five-round battle. Rosas remains uncertain about what exactly led to the sudden finish.

"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 who knows better than anybody, if he remembers."

He reflected on the fourth round, explaining how Barcelos kept trying to finish him with a submission while Rosas struggled to breathe:

"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 was gasping for air because he didn’t choke me. When he goes back to the corner from the fourth to the fifth, 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."

Heading into the final round, Rosas knew he had to push harder. He believes Barcelos’ body may have simply shut down from exhaustion.

Rosas recalled landing a light punch to the head just before attempting the takedown that ended the fight:

"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 expressed regret about Barcelos being unconscious when hitting the ground:

"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

Adding to the frustration, Barcelos was leading on the judges’ scorecards and seemed poised to win the decision regardless of the fifth round outcome. All three judges had him ahead comfortably.

Rosas felt the pressure building after Barcelos’ dominant fourth round, which one judge scored 10-8.

"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 explained.

"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."

"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' Rising UFC Career

With this victory, Rosas improves to 7-1 inside the UFC and holds a 13-1 record overall. He has now beaten two ranked fighters since joining the promotion as an 18-year-old in late 2018.