Raoni Barcelos still has no clue what happened to him inside the UFC Octagon. The Brazilian veteran suddenly went numb and blacked out during his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr. on September 26, turning a fight night into a scary trip to the hospital. Now, nearly three weeks later, he’s feeling a little better every day, but doctors still haven’t figured out what went wrong.

Speaking to MMA Fighting, the 39-year-old revealed that the numbness spread throughout his entire body before he lost consciousness. The scariest part? He doesn’t even remember what happened next.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know what happened,” he said.”It was a sudden illness. I fell ill, and I felt my whole body really starting to go numb. After that, I don’t remember anything. I only remember coming to in the ambulance, asking my father what had happened, and him trying to explain it to me as best he could.

“It really was an unfortunate incident. I got sick, and to this day, we still don’t understand what happened. I’m undergoing a battery of tests here in Vegas. I had another MRI on Monday and we’re waiting for a good result. The doctor hasn’t released the results yet, and everything is being kept very confidential, but I feel better every day.”

The Brazilian was reportedly winning on the scorecards before things took a scary turn, making the whole situation even more surreal. He’s now going through a bunch of tests in Las Vegas, including MRIs and neurological evaluations, while also checking in with the UFC Performance Institute for rehab and further testing.

For now, the priority is figuring out what exactly happened before he even thinks about stepping back into the Octagon. Raoni Barcelos is still hoping to fight again, but he knows retirement might be on the table, too. Until doctors figure out what went wrong, though, his fighting future is very much up in the air.

Retirement remains an option for the UFC veteran

Retirement is on the table, but Raoni Barcelos wants absolutely nothing to do with that thought right now. The 39-year-old knows his health has to come first, but walking away from fighting is easier said than done, especially when he still wants to compete.

“It hasn’t been ruled out. This is a very difficult time because we’re athletes, we’re fighters, and you never want to stop,” Barcelos said of retirement.”A lot of the time, your body can’t take it anymore, but your mind keeps you going. We really need to give it time to see what the future holds. But I want to make it clear right now that I don’t want to stop.

“Everything is still very fresh for me. Saying that I’m going to stop, that I’ll never fight again, is very difficult right now when everything is still so recent. I’m not even thinking about that possibility. Could it happen? Of course, it could, but I don’t want to think about it. On the contrary, I’m trying to enjoy and make the most of this moment in the best way possible.”

The Brazilian isn’t making any big decisions just yet, and he’s got plenty of people in his corner reminding him of that. The 39-year-old has spoken with his father, Davi Ramos, Andre Felipe, and former UFC light heavyweight champ Glover Teixeira, all of whom have urged him to take a breath, focus on recovery, and worry about retirement later.

After all, the injury still remains a mystery, although Teixiera did recently reveal that the doctors did find ” some swelling in his brain.”

“And that’s what we’re aiming for,” he continued. “A lot of people have already retired me before my time [laughs], but I really need this time to figure out what comes next.

“I had a long talk with my father, Davi Ramos, Andre Felipe, and Glover Teixeira. They told me, ‘Raoni, enjoy this moment. Now is not the time to think about retirement. I think you can give that answer a little further down the road.’”

For now, Raoni Barcelos has been told to stay away from head strikes for six months and keep his heart rate within a healthy range. That’s a pretty serious set of restrictions, even though the Brazilian says he’s feeling better every day. Before the 39-year-old even thinks about getting back to full training, he needs to finish his tests and find out what the hell happened.

His situation also brings back memories of Michael Bisping’s sudden exit from MMA. After losing his middleweight title to Georges St-Pierre, Bisping took a fight against Kelvin Gastelum on just three weeks’ notice at UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai on November 25, 2017. It turned out to be his final fight, with Gastelum knocking him out just 2:30 into the first round.

But the scary part came later that night. ‘The Count’ began seeing frightening flashes of light in his left eye, his only remaining good eye. He was already legally blind in his right eye after suffering a detached retina in 2013.

Doctors later diagnosed a vitreous detachment and warned that taking more punishment could put his remaining vision at serious risk. While Michael Bisping considered having one last fight in London, it never happened, and he officially called it quits in May 2018.

Of course, Raoni Barcelos’ situation is different, and he hasn’t announced any plans to retire. But his frightening experience is another reminder that a fighter’s career can change in an instant, no matter how experienced they are.

At 39, the Brazilian still wants to compete, and he hasn’t given up on that dream. For now, though, figuring out what happened to his body matters far more than figuring out when he can fight again.