Glover Teixeira has shared what doctors found after Raoni Barcelos lost consciousness at UFC Fight Night last weekend.
Teixeira, a longtime friend of Barcelos, was in his corner for the main event against Raul Rosas Jr. at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Barcelos was ahead on the scorecards when he went unconscious in the fifth round.
Speaking on his Overdogs podcast, the former UFC light heavyweight champion said tests found swelling in Barcelos’ brain.
There was some swelling in his brain, so it was a traumatic brain injury, and maybe that swelling caused him to black out. It was the body’s defense mechanism.
Teixeira said the moment was different from a typical knockout.
If it had been a knockout, we’re used to that. A fighter takes a shot, gets knocked out, okay, let’s take him to the hospital, all right. But this was something that happened out of nowhere.
Teixeira said the corner first thought an accidental clash of heads may have caused it.
Seeing him being taken out on a stretcher at that moment, man, it was the most desperate moment in MMA.
Barcelos was released from the hospital three days after the fight. Teixeira said more tests are needed before any decision on his career.
He needs to undergo all the proper tests to find out what happened, whether it really was a result of the trauma from the fight. It’s a decision that has to be made with a lot of care and caution.
Barcelos has said he plans to keep fighting. Dana White said earlier this week that he is not thinking about that yet, only that Barcelos is OK.
