“Thank God, He’s Doing Well” – Dana White Reacts to Raoni Barcelos’ UFC Vegas 121 Scare After Hospital Release

While Raul Rosas Jr. won an absolute war against Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 121, the post-fight discussion quickly shifted to the 39-year-old veteran’s bizarre knockout. For those unfamiliar with what happened, Rosas started clinching with Barcelos along the cage in the fifth round.

Rosas then managed to sweep one of Barcelos’ legs and drag him to the canvas, but something appeared to go wrong for the veteran on the way down. As Barcelos hit the canvas, he appeared to lose consciousness from the impact. Rosas immediately noticed that Barcelos’ arms had gone limp and backed away instead of throwing any more ground-and-pound.

The scene inside the UFC Apex quickly became uncomfortable. Barcelos remained motionless as medical personnel rushed into the Octagon. Replays offered little clarity, although one angle appeared to show Rosas’ head potentially catching Barcelos on the chin as they hit the canvas.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MMA Fighting (@mmafighting)

ALSO READ:Jose Aldo Has a Weight Class in Mind for Conor McGregor’s UFC Return

Barcelos was eventually carried out on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital. The veteran later updated fans with a video message in which he was seen speaking. Now, three days after the incident, Barcelos has been discharged from the hospital and shared a story on Instagram with his family.

He wrote in Portuguese, “Discharged and with my family. I want to thank everyone for the love, prayers, and positive vibrations. God is our victory.” Dana White has now given his thoughts on the scary sequence involving Barcelos.

Dana White Puts Raoni Barcelos’ UFC Return on the Back Burner

During the DWCS 94 presser, the UFC CEO said, “Thank God he’s doing well. He’s doing well, and he’s up, walking around, talking, and yeah.”

He added, “It goes right in line with everything I always talk about and what we do. All the pre-fight medicals were triple-checked. Everything was good.”

White also reiterated that the medical team responded quickly and that Barcelos received the best treatment possible. He said, “There were six doctors here that night, three ambulances. He was taken straight to the trauma center, not to Valley (Hospital Medical Center). Everything was done the right way. The outcome was good.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by West Till Death (@westtilldeath)

The Brazilian is now out of the hospital, but a return to fighting does not appear to be a consideration right now. Barcelos will need time to rest and recover, and that seems to be the main priority. When asked about a potential return to the cage, White said, “Not even thinking about that. Who gives a sh*t, as long as the kid is ok?”

There is currently no official diagnosis explaining what happened to Barcelos, or at least none that has been made public. There is also no timeline for when the veteran could potentially be cleared to fight again.