Raoni Barcelos is awake after being knocked out in a scary, bizarre scene at the conclusion of UFC Vegas 121.
Evelyn Rodrigues, the UFC’s official international reporter, confirmed the development in an announcement on social media.
“He is conscious, with his team and UFC staff,” Rodrigues said (via online translation). “He will get precautionary CT scans of the head and face and neck to check what happened. Doctor said it is out of caution. No exact diagnosis yet…”
A follow-up report from Pat Danna of Cageside Press, who was present at UFC Vegas 121, confirmed the same details.
Barcelos competed in the main event of UFC Vegas 121 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, taking on Raul Rosas Jr. The two traded heavy leather for the majority of their five-round clash, with both men bloodied and battered by the time the final round arrived.
Barcelos nearly won the fight in the fourth round with a choke attempt and was up on all three judges’ scorecards entering the final frame.
But during the fifth round, a takedown attempt from Rosas Jr. saw Barcelos go down to the mat and lose consciousness. He never regained consciousness in the Octagon, with Barcelos stretchered out and quickly transported to University Medical Center, less than 20 minutes away from the Meta Apex.
It’s unclear what caused the medical emergency, though some speculate Rosas and Barcelos’ heads had a collision on the takedown that concluded the bout.
Danna’s previous report in the immediate aftermath detailed a grim, scary scene.
“Someone cageside just confirmed to me that he did not see Barcelos wake up, and that the doctors checked for his pulse multiple times,” Danna had reported. “Said he was making noises but didn’t wake up.”
