Barcelos hospitalised after UFC bout as Rosas Jr. wins by fifth-round TKO

LAS VEGAS: Raul Rosas Jr. defeated Raoni Barcelos by fifth-round technical knockout in the UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday, but the result was overshadowed by concern for the Brazilian after he was hospitalised following the bantamweight bout.

Rosas ended the fight at 1:38 of the final round after slamming Barcelos to the canvas during a clinch against the cage.

Barcelos’ head appeared to hit either the cage or the canvas, and referee Herb Dean stopped the contest after seeing him apparently lose consciousness.

The 39-year-old remained on the canvas before being carried away on a stretcher. 

The UFC said Barcelos underwent a CT scan at a Level 1 trauma centre and was being monitored. He was later described as ‘stable, alert, responsive, with full movement’.

His coach Davi Ramos also provided an update on social media, writing: “Everything is fine, everyone can stay calm,” in a post translated from Portuguese.

Rosas rallied for his sixth consecutive victory after trailing on all three judges’ scorecards entering the final round.

Rosas urged fans to pray for Barcelos and praised his opponent as a warrior after the fight.

“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.”

It is pertinent to mention that the bout marked the biggest age gap between fighters in a UFC main event, with Barcelos 17 years older than Rosas.