Raoni Barcelos still awaits diagnosis after health scare, says retirement not ruled out

Raoni Barcelos is still waiting for doctors to explain why his body shut down during his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr., and the Brazilian bantamweight told MMA Fighting on Thursday that retirement "hasn't been ruled out" while he undergoes further tests in Las Vegas.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos headlined UFC Fight Night at the Meta APEX on September 26. Rosas Jr. won by TKO (slam) at 1:38 of the fifth round, according to the official UFC result. Barcelos had been building a lead through the middle rounds when Rosas Jr. took him down early in the fifth; the 39-year-old went limp, and Rosas Jr. immediately signaled to referee Herb Dean to stop the fight. The bout was named Fight of the Night.

No answer yet from doctors

The UFC said the night of the fight that Barcelos had been taken straight to a Level 1 trauma center, where he received a CT scan and was "stable, alert and responsive, with full movement." Almost three weeks later, he says the cause is still unknown.

"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."

He said he had another MRI on Monday and is still waiting for the results. The UFC flew his family from Rio de Janeiro to Las Vegas, and he goes to the UFC Performance Institute every day for physical therapy and neurological tests.

"I don't want to stop"

Barcelos admitted his career could be over, but said he is not ready to make that call.

"It hasn't been ruled out," he said of retirement. "This is a very difficult time because we're athletes, we're fighters, and you never want to stop. ... But I want to make it clear right now that I don't want to stop. Everything is still very fresh for me."

He said his father, Davi Ramos, Andre Felipe and Glover Teixeira all told him it was too soon to decide. Barcelos added that his heart is doing well and that he no longer takes any medication after what he called a very aggressive early treatment.

For now, Barcelos is serving a six-month medical suspension. During that time he cannot take any shots to the head, and his heart rate has to stay within a healthy range.

UFC support

Barcelos said he spoke briefly with UFC CEO Dana White at the Meta APEX during this week's Dana White's Contender Series. White told him: "Man, it's so good to see you doing well, and you'll be back before you know it." He also said UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell followed the ambulance to the hospital on fight night and came back with the doctor the next morning.

What's next

Barcelos has 28 professional MMA fights, 16 of them in the UFC. He says his future depends on a final diagnosis. "I need a diagnosis to really understand what happened," he said. "But I'm a guy who really respects my body and respects science and what the doctors have to say."

Rosas Jr., 21, earned his sixth straight win with the victory in his first UFC main event.