Dustin Poirier Has One Simple Idea After Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos Ends With A Scary UFC Finish
Dustin Poirier wants Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos to run it back after their UFC Vegas 121 main event ended with Barcelos losing consciousness. Barcelos later said he is doing fine.
Dustin Poirier wants Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos to fight again after their UFC Vegas 121 main event ended before either man could finish the fight on his own terms. Poirier discussed the bout on the Deep Waters show and said a rematch should happen if Barcelos is healthy. The Brazilian was knocked unconscious late in the fifth round after Rosas secured a takedown, bringing the contest to an abrupt stop. Barcelos was taken from the octagon on a stretcher and sent to the hospital. He has since said he is doing fine and thanked people for their support.
Poirier wants Rosas and Barcelos to run it back
The fight had already gone through four hard rounds before the finish came in the fifth. Rosas took Barcelos down and was preparing to follow with ground-and-pound when the referee stopped the contest after Barcelos lost consciousness.
What caused Barcelos to go unconscious was not immediately known. He was stretchered out of the octagon and taken directly to the hospital after the stoppage.
Poirier later discussed the ending on Deep Waters, where he backed the idea of putting the two bantamweights together again.
“I think what they should do is, if Barcelos is healthy, if he's okay, everything's good, and you run it back,” Poirier said. “It was a great fight up until that point. The ending, you know, it sucks. You run it back.”
There is also a competitive reason for the rematch idea. The four-round battle earned Fight of the Night honors, while Barcelos was ahead of Rosas on the judges' scorecards before the fight was stopped.
Barcelos says he is doing fine after the fight
Barcelos has now given an update on his condition after the difficult ending. Commenting on a UFC Brasil post about him, the Brazilian said he was doing fine and thanked people for their prayers and well-wishes.
He also looked back at the fight itself, saying he had promised an exciting contest before stepping into the cage and believed he delivered on that promise.
“Hey guys, I want to let you all know that I'm doing great. And as soon as I can, I will send you all a video! Thank you so much for everyone's love and prayers! I promised a great fight, and I fulfilled what I promised. Thank you, God, and everyone who fought together with me inside and outside of that cage,” Barcelos wrote.
Barcelos is still under medical observation and needs to fully recover before a rematch with Rosas can even be considered.