UFC Veteran Raoni Barcelos Contemplating Retirement After Scary Medical Emergency
Raoni Barcelos still has more questions than answers following the scary health emergency that ended his last UFC fight.
Now more than eight years removed from his promotional debut, Barcelos finally got his first main event opportunity when he and Raul Rosas Jr. headlined a UFC Fight Night card at the Meta APEX last month.
Rosas was also headlining a UFC card for the first time, and the fight carried significant stakes for the bantamweight division given that both men entered the night on impressive five-fight win streaks.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos UFC Main Event Ended With Scary Medical Emergency
After a strong start from Rosas, Barcelos took things over as the fight went on and held a decisive advantage on the scorecards heading into the fifth and final round.
Just a few minutes away from what would have been arguably the biggest win of his career, Barcelos was taken down by Rosas and appeared to go unconscious without absorbing any visible impact to his head.
What happened to Raoni Barcelos here??
- Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 27, 2026
He was taken out on a stretcher... #UFCVegas121pic.twitter.com/zIqHtRQomy
"El Nio Problema" was declared the victor, but the attention of fans was squarely focused on Barcelos health as the 39-year-old was stretchered out of the Octagon.
Raoni Barcelos Shares Latest Health Update With Fans
It thankfully wasn't too long before Barcelos was able to update fans and reassure them that he was recovering well, but the Brazilian revealed this week that it's still unclear exactly what happened at UFC Vegas 121.
"Unfortunately, we don't know what happened," Barcelos told MMA Fighting. "It was a sudden illness. I fell ill, and I felt my whole body really starting to go numb. After that, I don't remember anything. I only remember coming to in the ambulance, asking my father what had happened, and him trying to explain it to me as best he could."
Barcelos was on the best run of his UFC career heading into the Rosas matchup, as his five-fight win streak included a major upset of the previously-undefeated Payton Talbott and former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt.
Retirement a Possibility for 16-Fight UFC Veteran
The priority now is obviously for Barcelos to get back to full health and identify exactly what caused the episode at UFC Vegas 122, and the 39-year-old admits that retirement is a possibility at this stage.
"[Retirement] hasn't been ruled out," Barcelos said. "This is a very difficult time because we're athletes, we're fighters, and you never want to stop. A lot of the time, your body can't take it anymore, but your mind keeps you going. We really need to give it time to see what the future holds. But I want to make it clear right now that I don't want to stop."
It would be unfortunate if the final note of Barcelo's career ends up being the fight with Rosas, but the Brazilian has gone 11-5 during his lengthy UFC run and boasts an impressive 22-6 record since making his professional MMA debut in 2012.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Veteran Raoni Barcelos Contemplating Retirement After Scary Medical Emergency.