Phantom KO? Rosas Jr. Stop Barcelos In Horrifying Scene
· Yahoo Sports
Raoni Barcelos vs. Raul Rosas Jr. squared off in a Bantamweight bout earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 26, 2026) inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 121. In the year’s most frightening finish, Rosas Jr. stopped Barcelos in round five.
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The two grapplers didn’t wait long to begin trading shots. Rosas Jr. was fast with his kicks, while Barcelos worked to line up the right hand. In a wild exchange, Barcelos appeared to be hurt by a punch … or maybe he slipped? Either way, he used a takedown to settle down Rosas Jr. for a moment. Rosas Jr.‘s left hand was finding the mark consistently, landing on the chin several times in short succession.
Barcelos landed a nice combination right into a clinch takedown. Rosas Jr. threw a ton of strikes from his back and stood up quickly in response. Back on the feet, Barcelos seemed to find his timing, landing a couple combinations and hitting the body with his right hand.
Barcelos’ eye was quite swollen after a chaotic first frame.
Barcelos’ jab landed well early in the second, though Rosas Jr. was answering well with the calf kick. The Brazilian continued to find success by attacking the body with his right hand, which helped set up his combinations. Rosas Jr.‘s left hand crashed into the target, a considerably faster shot than his opponent could throw. Barcelos moved his head well, which made a difference in the wild exchanges in the center of the Octagon. Barcelos also timed several takedowns, though he struggled to keep Rosas Jr. down. Despite all of his opponent’s good work, Rosas Jr. continued to fire a lot of strikes and landed heavily several times.
After an insane ten minutes, it was still anyone’s fight!
Barcelos continued to do good work on the feet into round three, timing Rosas Jr. with jabs and body shots. He scored a beautiful takedown into back control, but Rosas Jr. reversed his way into top position. He took advantage too, landing some solid round strikes before the Brazilian escaped back to his feet. In the standup, Barcelos’ body work was really starting to add up. It set up his overhand right, which bloodied the face of Rosas Jr.
Barcelos scored one more insanely slick foot sweep before the bell. Heading into the championship rounds, the momentum was in his corner.
Barcelos stalked forward in the fourth, controlling the center of the cage. Rosas Jr. moved a lot, but his output was lower and his punches slower. Barcelos cracked him with a right and scored another brief takedown. This time, he was able to maintain some control and keep Rosas Jr. stuck on bottom for a while. He advanced into back mount and threatened the choke. Rosas Jr. showed his heart in surviving, but his face was a bloody mask after a bad fourth round.
Raul Rosas Jr. opened round five with an energetic flurry and several jump knee attempts. Barcelos responded with a brief takedown, then the two were back on their feet trading punches. Rosas Jr. turned the tables with a takedown of his own … and the fight was suddenly over?!? As best I can tell, Rosas Jr.’s head crashed into the jaw during the trip takedown.
That’s just a guess though. Whatever impact knocked out Raoni Barcelos was a phantom blow and left the Brazilian in a world of hurt. The broadcast didn’t show what was happening, but it was clear that Barcelos was down for a long time. He was transferred onto a stretcher and left the Octagon in terrifying fashion. I’ve been involved in this sport for nearly 20 years and have never seen anything quite like this.
I hope Raoni Barcelos is okay.
Result: Rosas Jr. defeats Barcelos via fifth-round knockoutFor complete UFC Vegas 121 results and play-by-play click here.