In his first-ever main event, Raul Rosas
Jr. showed he has the heart of a true
Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter.
The
UFC Vegas 121 headliner pitted 135-pound up-and-comer Rosas Jr.
against Octagon veteran Raoni
Barcelos. The pair put on a back-and-forth battle, with both
fighters having their moments to shine. Eventually, it was Rosas
Jr. (13-1, 7-1 UFC) who pocketed the victory after a sequence that
left mixed martial arts fans worried about Barcelos’ health. Midway
through the fifth stanza, “El Niño Problema” landed an inside trip
that brought the Brazilian to the canvas. Barcelos (22-6, 11-5 UFC)
appeared to hit his head on the way down and remained motionless as
referee Herb Dean waved
off the fight. The official result was a knockout via slam at the
1:38 mark of Round 5. Barcelos was subsequently taken out of the
cage on a stretcher and transported to a hospital. The latest
update indicated that he was alert, responsive and recovering.
With the victory, Rosas Jr. earned his sixth consecutive win and
officially joined Sherdog’s bantamweight rankings at No. 14.
Barcelos dropped to No. 15.
In the co-main event, women’s bantamweight No. 3 Ailin Perez
overcame No. 6 Norma
Dumont (13-4, 9-4 UFC) in an uneventful fight. The pair didn’t
like each other at the weigh-ins, but when they had the chance to
exchange blows in the cage, the result was underwhelming. Still,
Perez (14-2, 7-1 UFC) did enough to take home a surprising
unanimous decision, earning 29-28 scores from all three judges.
Both fighters retained their respective positions in the
rankings.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
Jump To »
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN’S ATOMWEIGHT