What really happened to Raoni Barcelos that forced him into three-day hospital stay after UFC 121
Glover Teixeira, Barcelos' friend and teammate, revealed new details about Barcelos' health scare.
Mixed martial arts, particularly the fighting done in UFC , truly is a gladiator sport. Fighters put their lives on the line every time they step into the Octagon. Most recently, Raoni Barcelos was the one who scared everyone in the aftermath of one of his bouts.
The 39-year-old faced off against Raul Rosas Jr . on September 26 at UFC 121 in Las Vegas. In the fifth and final round, Barcelos appeared to become unconscious during a takedown by Rosas . The fight was called a victory for Rosas, while Barcelos had to be taken to a local hospital .
Barcelos was hospitalized for three days while they ran tests and made sure he was in stable condition. His longtime friend and teammate, Glover Teixeira , finally broke the silence regarding Barcelo's health this week.
Raoni Barcelos suffered a traumatic brain injury during UFC 121 main event, Glover Teixeira confirms
Teixeira explained that Barcelos suffered a brain injury , with swelling triggering a shutdown as a "defense mechanism".
They went in and ran the tests. There was some swelling in his brain, so it was a traumatic brain injury, and maybe that swelling caused him to black out. 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. Of course, [his future is] going to be a conversation he’ll have with his family and everyone else. He needs to undergo all the proper tests to find out what happened, whether it really was a result of the trauma from the fight. It’s a decision that has to be made with a lot of care and caution.
It was a truly terrifying situation, but Barcelos has been in good spirits since it happened. He will probably want to continue fighting, but it may be time to hang up the gloves right before turning 40.
