Barcelos says he is 'doing great' after collapsing unconscious at UFC Vegas 121

Raoni Barcelos has issued his first public statement since collapsing unconscious during his UFC Vegas 121 main event defeat to Raul Rosas Jr. at the Meta APEX, telling fans he is “doing great” and promising a video update when he is able.

The 39-year-old bantamweight had been ahead on the scorecards heading into the third and final round when he blacked out and fell to the canvas with less than three minutes remaining — with no apparent strike causing the incident. He was subsequently hospitalised in Las Vegas.

Writing in Portuguese in the comment section of a UFC Brasil social media post, Barcelos offered reassurance to a fanbase left shaken by the scenes inside the cage. “Hey everyone, I just want to let you all know that I’m doing great, and as soon as I can, I’ll send a video to all of you,” he wrote. “Thank you so much for everyone’s love, support, and prayers. I promised a great fight, and I delivered on that promise. Thank God, and thank you to everyone who fought alongside me, both inside and outside that cage.”

Neither the UFC nor Barcelos’ team have yet disclosed what caused the collapse. Hours after the fight on Sunday, however, his head coach Davi Ramos moved quickly to calm concerned supporters with an update of his own.

“Raoni is doing well,” Ramos said. “He has all his senses, he’s moving his leg, his arm, his hand, he’s conscious, he’s talking, everything is fine with him. He’s undergoing some tests, and pretty soon he’ll be here to talk to you guys.”

Ramos added that Barcelos would need rest as a precaution while standard medical checks were completed. “Keep praying for him,” the coach said. “He’ll have to rest because of what happened, but God willing, everything will be fine.”

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, and no timeline for Barcelos’ return to competition has been given.