Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos, UFC Vegas 121 weigh-in Credit: Patrick Danna/Cageside Press
The UFC Vegas 121 main event of bantamweights Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos was a tale of two headliners, and their respective journeys.
Rosas had come into the promotion the youngest UFC fighter in history, signing as a 17-year old off the Contender Series and making his octagon debut at just 18. Now just 21-years old, Rosas was getting his main event shot in just his eighth UFC fight.
Brazil’s Barcelos, meanwhile, was 39-years old an entering his 16th bout with the company in his own main event debut. The long road, in other words, especially in comparison to Raul Rosas Jr.
Rosas opened with a leg kick, while Barcelos pressed forward with a right hand. The Brazilian uncorked an uppercut early as well, while Rosas pulled up on a knee. When Barcelos grabbed a leg, it was Rosas peppering him with uppercuts before being dumped on his back, though he was right back up, and it was more of a defensive measure in the end given Barcelos was under fire. A left, meanwhile, would land for Rosas, and Barcelos was bloodied. Barcelos reached for a takedown, but was too far out. The pace through the first three minutes was breakneck, though Barcelos slowed things down by landing a takedown. Rosas scrambled and kicked him off, back up in all of 10 seconds. Rosas finished the round firing a jump knee, but slipped off the landing.
That blistering first round gave way to a spirited start again in the second. Barcelos worked his jab and ripped the body. Rosas landed a well-placed calf kick. Given his takedowns had been a big part of his early UFC run, Rosas was showing considerable skill on the feet. Barcelos, however, continued to invest in attacking the body. Both men were landing. Barcelos grabbed a leg, spun Rosas around, couldn’t land the takedown, but went back for a second attempt. No luck that time either, but the threat was there.
Both men were bloodied by the time the back half of the round arrived, and both men were landing. Barcelos tagged Rosas twice, then launched into a takedown. Rosas gave up his back returning to his feet, and was dragged back down only to reverse. They traded in the clinch, broke, traded at range, and Rosas doubled up on his jab, landing twice.
Rosas Jr. looked exhausted on his stool after the insane pace he put on through the first two rounds. Still, he came out firing in the third. Barcelos was mixing up his strikes well, with body shots, low kicks, and punches up top. The entries on his takedowns weren’t great, but they were enough to force Rosas to be wary of them. Rosas tried to pick his shots a little more selectively, but was taken down with over three minutes on the clock, Barcelos immediately taking his back. No slouch on the ground, Raul was easily able to reverse. In moments, he moved to half-guard, and began drilling the body and head. Barcelos, however, scrambled to the fence, and was soon back up. A couple of exchanges later, and he was looking for another takedown, to no avail. He would, however, make another attempt with about 30 seconds left, landing it but running out of time just as Rosas rolled free anyway.
Rosas vs. Barcelos was easily one of the best three-round affairs of the year, only it had another ten minutes to go. Both men were bloodied. Both men were refusing to back down. Rosas opened round four by targeting the body, as Barcelos had done earlier in the bout. Rosas wound up dumped on his back again but was back up, three minutes still to go in the fourth. Moments later, Rosas was back down. Barcelos yanked him back with a headlock, but couldn’t keep him down. Another takedown, and this time Barcelos worked on a rear-naked choke. He didn’t have it initially, but Rosas was barely defending, relying on position as Barcelos wasn’t quite able to get things in properly. Barcelos then bailed on the spot, got hooks in, and got across the neck, with Rosas fighting hands, peeling the arm back and giving a thumbs up. With time ticking away, Rosas was safe (despite eating a few punches to the ribs), though he’d likely lost the round.
The fifth and final round off a superbly entertaining fight saw Rosas quick on his feet, moving in and out, firing his jab. Yet Barcelos wisely landed a takedown early, and away from the fence. Rosas turned to his knees, giving up the back again, but playing to the crowd as he freed himself. A jump knee, then traditional knee to the body followed, with Raul landing the latter. Raoni clinched up, but Rosas reversed, earning his own takedown with three and a half minutes or so left in the fight.
That was the end of the fight. Barcelos appeared injured off the takedown, grazing his head on the fence and falling awkwardly, and was no longer defending. A single weak hammer fist from Rosas, and he backed off as the ref came in. Barcelos was unable to get up, had to be taken out on a stretcher, and in his post-fight interview, Rosas asked for prayers for his opponent, calling him a warrior. One of the best fights of the year, with an extremely scary finish.
Official Result: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Raoni Barcelos by knockout, Round 5, 1:38