Teixeira Reveals Barcelos Suffered Brain Swelling After UFC Vegas 121

Raoni Barcelos suffered brain swelling after losing consciousness during his UFC Vegas 121 main event loss to Raul Rosas Jr., according to his coach Glover Teixeira.

Barcelos was winning on the scorecards entering the fifth round when he suddenly went limp during a grappling exchange and passed out, forcing the referee to wave off the bout at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 26. Rosas Jr. got the technical knockout victory while Barcelos was transported to a Level 1 trauma center.

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Neurological Tests Confirmed Traumatic Brain Injury

Teixeira, the former UFC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion who cornered Barcelos that night, told the Overdogs Brasil podcast that doctors ran extensive tests because the stoppage did not resemble a typical knockout. "It was different because it wasn't a knockout," Teixeira said, per Sherdog. "If it had been a knockout, we're used to that. A fighter takes a shot, gets knocked out, OK, 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."

The neurological workup revealed swelling in Barcelos' brain, which Teixeira believes may have triggered the blackout as a protective response. "There was some swelling in his brain, so it was a traumatic brain injury and maybe that swelling caused him to black out," he 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."

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The 38-year-old bantamweight had been ahead on all three judges' cards before the finish. No timeline has been announced for his return.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Glover Teixeira: Raoni Barcelos had brain swelling after UFC Vegas 121