Raoni Barcelos Sends First Message to Fans After UFC Fight Night Medical Emergency

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Raoni Barcelos Sends First Message to Fans After UFC Fight Night Medical Emergency
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Fans have finally received an update from Raoni Barcelos himself following a scary ending to his UFC Vegas 121 main event fight with Raul Rosas Jr.

While it wasn't the most star-studded UFC Fight Night in recent memory, last Saturday's UFC Vegas 121 card did see a total of eight fights end inside the distance leading up to the bantamweight main event.

One of those results came in controversial fashion when Mahammadali Osmanli was disqualified from his The Ultimate Fighter bout with Ilimbek Akylbek for landing an illegal knee while Akylbek was grounded, but that fight was quickly overshadowed by what transpired in the headlining fightt between Barcelos and Rosas Jr.

Raoni Barcelos Taken Out on Stretcher After UFC Vegas 121

With both men entering the night on five-fight win streaks, Barcelos and Rosas Jr. threw down for just over four rounds and ended up taking home post-fight bonuses for competing in the "Fight of the Night" for UFC Vegas 121 once all was said and done.

That bonus ended up being little more than a footnote to the fight, as fans witnessed a scary scene in the final round when Barcelos was taken down by Rosas Jr. and appeared to fall unconscious without absorbing any visible impact to his head.

Rosas was declared the winner via fifth-round finish, while Barcelos was stretchered out of the Octagon in one of the more unsettling combat sports moments in recent memory.

Fans Finally Get Update From Raoni Barcelos After Scary Scene

The UFC made sure to update fans once Barcelos was conscious and moving again, and on the Monday after the fight the official UFC Brasil Instagram account shared a welcome update from the bantamweight veteran.

"Hey everyone, I just want to let you all know that I'm doing great, as a soon as I can, I'll send a video to all of you! Thank you so much for everyone's love, support, and prayers! I promised a great fight, and I deliver on that promise. Thank God, and thank you to everyone who fought alongside me, both inside and outside the cage." (h/t MMA Fighting for the translation).
Cody Garbrandt (red gloves) fights Raoni Barcelos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena.
Cody Garbrandt (red gloves) fights Raoni Barcelos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The update from Barcelos has been significantly better received than the latest one from Rosas, who drew the ire of some MMA fans for celebrating his win at UFC Vegas 121 after he was down 3-1 on the judges' scorecards heading into the final round.

Raul Rosas Jr. Has Now Won Six-Straight UFC Fights

Regardless of opinions on how the fight ended, Rosas still finds himself on a six-fight win streak that began in late 2023 after he suffered his first MMA loss at the hands of Christian Rodriguez.

Rob Font (red gloves) fights Raul Rosas Jr. (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena.
Rob Font (red gloves) fights Raul Rosas Jr. (blue gloves) during UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Barcelos also came into his first UFC main event following five-straight victories, which matched the win streak the Brazilian put together after he initially joined the promotion in 2018.

Cody Garbrandt (red gloves) fights Raoni Barcelos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena.
Cody Garbrandt (red gloves) fights Raoni Barcelos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 39-year-old should take an extended period off to recover and make sure his health is in order following the result of his latest fight, while Rosas will likely be in line for a matchup with a major bantamweight name his next time out.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as Raoni Barcelos Sends First Message to Fans After UFC Fight Night Medical Emergency.