Raul Rosas Jr. emerged victorious in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Las Vegas, but concern for his opponent, Raoni Barcelos, took center stage after he was hospitalized following a fifth-round technical knockout in their bantamweight bout.
In the final round, Rosas (13-1 MMA) slammed Barcelos to the mat during a clinch against the cage, causing Barcelos’ head to hit either the cage or the canvas. Referee Herb Dean waved off the bout at 1:38 when he saw that Barcelos (22-6) had apparently lost consciousness. He remained on the canvas until he was carried out on a stretcher.
Barcelos underwent a CT scan at a Level 1 trauma center and was being monitored, according to a UFC statement. In the statement, the UFC said Barcelos was “stable, alert, responsive, with full movement.”
Late Saturday night, Davi Ramos, who is Barcelos’ coach, posted an update on social media.
“Everything is fine, everyone can stay calm,” Ramos wrote in his post, which was translated from Portuguese.
Rosas, who rallied to win his sixth fight in a row after trailing on all three scoreboards entering the final round, urged the crowd to keep Barcelos in their prayers.
“I want everybody tonight to please pray for Raoni Barcelos,” Rosas said during his postfight interview in the cage. “Man, he’s a warrior. It takes two to tango.”
Rosas, a native of Mexico, joined UFC in 2022 at 17, making him the youngest fighter ever to sign with the UFC. This bout marked the widest age gap of any main event in UFC history, with the 39-year-old Barcelos 17 years older than Rosas.
In the co-main event, Argentina’s Ailin Perez defeated Brazil’s Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a women’s bantamweight match. Perez improved to 14-2, winning her seventh straight match, including six by unanimous decision. Dumont lost her second straight to fall to 13-4.
Luis Hernandez made quick work of fellow American Sedriques Dumas in a light heavyweight bout, winning by submission with a guillotine choke hold 50 seconds into the fight. With the win, Hernandez improved to 9-0, while Dumas dropped to 10-6 with his third consecutive defeat.
Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan won by a disqualification after he was knocked by an illegal knee from Mahammadeli Osmanli of Azerbaijan early in their bantamweight bout.
At 2:19 of the opening round in the finale, Uulu (11-3) was on his knees on the canvas when Osmanli (12-2) rushed in and struck his opponent squarely in the head with his left knee. As a result, Uulu was awarded the victory in the finale of Season 34 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
In a women’s strawweight bout, Brazil’s Tina Black won the title of “The Ultimate Fighter” with a second-round stoppage of American Melissa Amaya. Black (16-4) knocked Amaya (8-1) off her feet midway through the second round, then finished her off by TKO (strikes) at 3:19.
–Field Level Media
