Raoni Barcelos Says He Is Doing Great from Hospital After UFC Vegas 121 Collapse
Raoni Barcelos remains hospitalized but is conscious, talking, and in good spirits after collapsing during his UFC Vegas 121 main event.
Raoni Barcelos has not been cleared to leave the hospital, but the Brazilian bantamweight wants fans to know he is in good shape after the frightening scene at UFC Vegas 121.
Barcelosed collapsed suddenly during the fifth round of his main event against Raul Rosas Jr. last Saturday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. He was transported to a Level 1 trauma center and has remained hospitalized since.
His head coach Davi Ramos provided an update to The Mac Life. "He has all his senses, he's moving his leg, his arm, his hand, he's conscious, he's talking," Ramos said. "Everything is going well with him."
Dr. Gustavo Medeiros described the incident as a "sudden illness" and said Barcelos is "fully lucid with all senses intact." Per LowKick MMA, the doctor indicated that Barcelos is hospitalized "strictly as a matter of protocol" for continued observation. The specific medical cause of the collapse has not been publicly disclosed.
The timing made the incident even more painful. Barcelos was leading on all three judges' scorecards heading into the fifth round, with one judge awarding him a dominant 10-8 in the fourth. He was roughly three minutes away from a sixth consecutive UFC victory when he suddenly went stiff during a clinch exchange.
The fight was stopped and Barcelos was attended to immediately before being stretchered out of the arena. The loss goes on his record as a fifth-round TKO for Rosas Jr., though the circumstances left the MMA community focused on Barcelos' health rather than the result.
Barcelosed posted on social media saying he is "doing great," per MMA Mania. He remains under observation with no discharge date announced.
This is the kind of thing that puts everything else in perspective. You can argue scorecards and stoppages all day long, but when a fighter collapses and gets stretchered out, none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that Raoni Barcelos is talking and moving and has his people around him.
I am glad the medical response was fast. The UFC's protocol at the Apex has improved a lot over the years, and getting him to a Level 1 trauma center quickly was the right call. Combat sports will always carry this risk. There is no way to make getting hit in the head safe. All you can do is have the right people and the right plan in place when something goes wrong.
Barcelosed was having the fight of his life on those scorecards. I hope he makes a full recovery and gets the chance to show that version of himself again.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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