Veteran MMA fighter Raoni Barcelos suffered one of the scarier finishes in recent UFC history on Saturday night, collapsing during a five-round main event matchup against Raul Rosas Jr.
The 39-year-old Brazilian talent was seen suddenly going unconscious late in his bantamweight matchup, with it being unclear what caused it. The moments that followed were considerably worrying, as a still-unconscious Barcelos was stretchered out of the UFC APEX.
In the hours and days that followed, positive updates have been provided on Barcelos’ health. While there remains no answer as to what caused him to suffer the worrying medical incident, those close to him have said that he has started to recover.
An update posted by UFC on early Sunday morning noted that Barcelos was “stable, alert and responsive, with full movement,” and he was being evaluated at a Level 1 trauma center.
“He has all his senses, he’s moving his leg, his arm, his hand, he’s conscious, he’s talking, everything is fine with him,” said Barcelos coach Davi Ramos, per a social media post translated by MMA Fighting. “He’s undergoing some tests, and pretty soon he’ll be here to talk to you guys.”
On Sunday evening, a follow-up report from Ariel Helwani noted that Barcelos was able to “walk and eat.” He noted that the timetable for his release from the hospital isn’t clear currently.
Barcelos is a UFC veteran with over 15 promotional appearances to his name. The Rio de Janeiro-born talent had gained some steam in recent years, attaining five consecutive wins in the bantamweight division prior to Saturday. Along the way, he stopped the momentum of undefeated Payton Talbott in early 2025, pulling off a huge upset win at UFC 311.
