Raul Rosas Jr. continued his impressive run in the UFC Bantamweight division this weekend following a dramatic TKO win over Raoni Barcelos in the latest edition of UFC Fight Night at the Meta Apex Arena on Sunday morning.
In what was a swift start for Rosas Jr., the 21-year-old asserted himself with constant strikes during the first half of the first round while Barcelos returned the favour closer to the buzzer.
While Rosas Jr. enjoyed a good start to the fight, much of the middle rounds belonged to Barcelos, who often smothered his opponent. During Round two, Barcelos landed a wide array of strikes that put Rosas on the back foot, which paved the way for the Brazilian to complete a brief takedown before returning to his feet, where he landed a couple of power punches in the process.
Barcelos once again got busy in the third round and managed to sweep Rosas Jr.’s leg to secure a body triangle that was expertly countered by the young Bantamweight star. With the fourth and fifth rounds approaching, both fighters sported battered faces with Barcelos getting the better of his opponent once more.
A neck crank attempt in the fourth round signalled Barcelos’ attempt at finishing the fight with a submission; however, a thumbs-up by Rosas Jr. to the crowd ensured he was good to go for the final five minutes.
Rosas, who very much needed a finish to claim victory, took the fight to his opponent at the beginning of the final five minutes. As the two got back to their feet following Barcelos’ takedown, Rosas executed a trip that saw Barcelos land awkwardly and immediately go limp.
Following worrying scenes inside the Octagon, Barcelos was rushed out of the cage on a stretcher as Rosas was declared the winner.
Fight Night also featured a rare disqualification in the bout between Ilimbek Akylbek and Mahammadeli Osmanli in the Bantamweight division.
Osmanli landed a blatant illegal knee while Akylbek was down on the canvas, resulting in a disqualification win for Akylbek, who was unable to continue the fight at the midway point in Round one.
UFC Fight Night: Rosas v Barcelos main card results:
Raul Rosas Jr. defeated Raoni Barcelos by TKO (injury) at 1:38 of Round 5
Ailin Perez defeated Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Luis Hernandez defeated Sedriques Dumas by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:50 of Round 1
Ilimbek Akylbek defeated Mahammadeli Osmanli by disqualification (illegal knee) at 2:19 of Round 1
Tina Black defeated Melissa Amaya by TKO (strikes) at 3:19 of Round 2