Barcelos suffered brain swelling after losing consciousness at UFC Vegas 121, Teixeira reveals

Raoni Barcelos suffered a traumatic brain injury after losing consciousness during his bantamweight main event against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121 in Las Vegas on September 26, former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira has revealed. Barcelos was rushed to a Level 1 trauma centre following the stoppage, which was ruled a technical knockout in favour of Rosas Jr.

Teixeira, who was working Barcelos’ corner on the night, disclosed the medical findings on the Overdogs Brasil podcast. He explained that the unusual nature of the finish — Barcelos going limp during a wrestling exchange rather than being dropped by a strike — immediately raised concerns among his team about what had caused the collapse.

“It was different because it wasn’t a knockout,” Teixeira said. “If it had been a knockout, we’re used to that. A fighter takes a shot, gets knocked out, okay, let’s take him to the hospital, all right. But this was something that happened out of nowhere, and we started thinking about all kinds of things. Could it have been his heart? Could it have been something neurological? They went in and ran the tests.”

The tests revealed swelling on Barcelos’ brain, which Teixeira believes triggered an involuntary shutdown. Barcelos had been ahead on the judges’ scorecards entering the fifth and final round, and Teixeira suggested his fighter’s determination may have contributed to the severity of the situation.

“There was some swelling in his brain, so it was a traumatic brain injury and maybe that swelling caused him to black out,” Teixeira added. “It was the body’s defense mechanism. ‘Let’s shut this down because this guy isn’t going to stop.’ His mind was stronger than his body, right? He didn’t want to give up.”

The incident drew widespread attention within the MMA community given its sudden and alarming nature. Barcelos had been competitive throughout the contest before the collapse, making the finish all the more unexpected for those watching at the Meta Apex arena and beyond.

No further update on Barcelos’ current condition or timeline for a potential return to competition was provided by Teixeira.