Raoni Barcelos’ night at UFC Vegas 121 went from an incredible comeback performance to a genuinely scary situation in a matter of seconds. The Brazilian was having one of his best showings in recent memory against Raul Rosas Jr., only for things to take a terrifying turn when the final round arrived.

The veteran had spent four rounds pushing a crazy pace against the much younger contender and was sitting ahead on all three judges’ scorecards. Then, during a wrestling exchange in the fifth, the 39-year-old appeared to lose consciousness and suddenly collapsed, bringing the fight to an immediate halt as the medical team rushed into the Octagon.

Thankfully, Dana White now has some good news. Speaking about the incident publicly for the first time at the Contender Series post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO revealed that Barcelos is doing well after spending several nights in the hospital.

“Thank God he’s doing well,” he said. “He’s doing well, yeah. He’s up, walking around. Talking.”

Raoni Barcelos was transported to a hospital following the incident, leaving fans understandably worried about the veteran’s condition.

The scene was serious enough to have fans fearing the worst. But thankfully, Dana White’s latest update confirmed that the veteran is conscious, walking around and talking. Naturally, that’s a huge relief for everyone involved.

The UFC CEO also used the moment to praise the UFC’s medical team, pointing out that the promotion had plenty of preparation and emergency support in place when things went wrong.

“Yeah, I mean, it goes right in line with everything that I always talk about and what we do,” White said. “All the pre-flight medicals were triple-checked. Everything was good.

“There were six doctors here that night, three ambulances. He was taken straight to the trauma centre, not to Valley. Everything was done the right way, and the outcome is good.”

Dana White’s update also touched on the question that was probably on a lot of fans’ minds after the frightening incident: could Raoni Barcelos ever fight again? At 39, and after going through such a scary medical episode, there’s obviously plenty of uncertainty around what comes next for the veteran.

But for Dana White, a comeback is the last thing anyone should be worrying about right now.

“Not even thinking about that,” the UFC CEO said. “Who gives a s—, as long as the kid is okay.”

And honestly, that’s all that matters after what happened at UFC Vegas 121. The frightening ending also brought back memories of another unsettling UFC medical emergency.

In December 2023, Bryce Mitchell suffered a severe seizure inside the Octagon after being knocked out by Josh Emmett. Cage-side medical personnel immediately rushed in to help Mitchell before he was taken to a hospital.

In Raoni Barcelos’ case, doctors are still working to determine exactly what caused him to lose consciousness during the wrestling exchange.

For now, though, the only thing that really matters is that the Brazilian fighter is awake, up and moving around, and able to communicate. After what happened, that is welcome news.

But while Dana White’s update brought some much-needed relief, former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy has offered a far more concerning theory about what might have happened to the 39-year-old inside the Octagon.

John McCarthy raises a frightening theory about what happened to Raoni Barcelos

If the veteran referee is to be believed, John McCarthy claims Raoni Barcelos may have suffered an aneurysm during the fight. Though it’s important to note that the 39-year-old’s doctors have not publicly confirmed that this was the cause of his collapse.

“I believe he had an aneurysm,” McCarthy said on the Weighing In podcast. “You watch the way that he goes, and his arm drops, and when he goes down, he’s just slowly shutting down.

“And that’s because of the difference in pressure that’s occurring because of the aneurysm.”

McCarthy also warned against assuming that Raoni Barcelos being awake and communicating meant the danger had completely passed.

“People are gonna sit there and give you all kinds of things,” he continued. “I’m telling you right now. You know, thank God that he’s okay at this moment. To sit there and say, ‘Oh, you know, don’t worry about him; he’s fine.’ He’s not fine.

“He is still in the ICU. There’s a reason why. You don’t keep people in an ICU because they’re fine. There’s all kinds of bad things that can still occur from this, and they’ve got to monitor him closely.”

Still, McCarthy’s theory remains just that: a theory. He is not Barcelos’ doctor, and there has been no public confirmation that the veteran suffered an aneurysm.

The UFC also said that the Brazilian fighter was stable, alert and responsive after undergoing a CT scan and a full assessment at a Level 1 trauma centre.

Raoni Barcelos has also spoken from his hospital bed, reassuring fans that he is doing well as doctors continue to run further tests.

“I wanted to send you all a message to let you know that I’m okay,” Barcelos said in a video in his native Portuguese. “I’m doing very well, and I’m getting all the necessary tests done here at the hospital.”

But while he assured that he will be back, McCarthy believes the frightening incident could spell the end of the 39-year-old’s MMA career.

“And look, he’s in that position, where, God bless him. I hope he’s gonna make it through this. I’m sure he is, and all the prayers to him,” McCarthy said. “But you just saw Raoni Barcelos fight his last fight.”

Whether that turns out to be true remains unknown, and honestly, it’s not the biggest concern right now. The UFC veteran’s future inside the Octagon can wait.

Dana White’s latest update suggests the Brazilian is making encouraging progress, and after such a terrifying moment at UFC Vegas 121, that’s the only news that really matters right now.