Glover Teixeira reveals what caused Raoni Barcelos’ health scare at UFC Vegas 121

Raoni Barcelos suffered a swelling of the brain that acted as a defense mechanism, shutting down his body during his main event loss to Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121 last weekend, according to his cornerman Glover Teixeira. The 39-year-old bantamweight was winning on the scorecards heading into the fifth round when he suddenly lost consciousness without apparent cause around the two-minute mark, forcing his immediate hospitalization.

Teixeira, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, described the incident as uniquely unsettling because it differed from a typical knockout. "It was different because it wasn't a knockout," Teixeira explained on his Overdogs podcast. "If it had been a knockout, we're used to that... But this was something that happened out of nowhere." Medical testing revealed traumatic brain injury from the fight's accumulated trauma. The swelling caused Barcelos to black out as his body's protective response, Teixeira said, noting that Barcelos' mental toughness exceeded his physical capacity to continue.

Teixeira, standing cage-side alongside Barcelos' father Laerte, initially questioned whether an undetected accidental headbutt had triggered the collapse. He also criticized referee Herb Dean for being slow to stop the action, stepping in only after Rosas Jr. voluntarily ceased striking. Teixeira referenced Dean's previous controversial calls—including in Alex Pereira's UFC title bout against Cyril Gane—and questioned whether it might be time for Dean to retire.

Barceols was discharged three days post-hospitalization. Teixeira emphasized that Barcelos must undergo thorough medical testing to determine whether the trauma directly caused his condition and whether he can safely resume fighting. The decision about his career future will require careful consultation with his family and medical professionals.