Raoni Barcelos Starts a New UFC Chapter

After eight years and 15 fights in the UFC, Raoni Barcelos has reached a new point in his run with the promotion. The 39-year-old Brazilian will face Raul Rosas Jr. in his first UFC main event, a five-round bantamweight contest at Meta APEX on Saturday night. Barcelos has competed in the UFC since arriving in 2018, spending that time in a talent-stacked 135-pound division. Now, after what UFC.com described as the best form of his UFC career, he will occupy the top spot on the card against Rosas.

The opportunity carries personal weight for Barcelos, whose face is now on the poster after years of work in the division. He said the main-event call was a dream come true and that he wanted to take in every moment of it. When he learned that the Rosas matchup would headline the card, Barcelos said the struggles and everything he had gone through to reach this stage ran through his mind. The booking is not simply a longer fight for him; it is a chance to bring his full UFC experience into a five-round setting against an opponent he called a great fighter, athlete and very tough athlete. Barcelos said he is well prepared and believes Rosas is prepared, too, framing the contest as a fight in which fans can come out winning.

Barcelos earned his main-event opportunity

Barcelos began his UFC career quickly, winning each of his first five appearances. That early surge changed after a loss to Timur Valiev in June 2021. Barcelos then lost four of five matchups, with defeats to Valiev, Victor Henry, Umar Nurmagomedov and Kyler Phillips. The difficult run placed him under pressure when he returned against Cristian Quinonez in February 2024, with the prospect of three consecutive defeats in front of him. Barcelos answered with a major performance, submitting Quinonez in the third round to end his losing skid.

That win became the start of the form that led to Saturday night’s main event. Since the Quinonez result, Barcelos has added victories over Payton Talbott, Cody Garbrandt, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson, giving him a five-fight winning streak. The confirmed chronology is central to the moment: five wins to open his UFC tenure, a stretch in which he lost four of five, then a third-round submission of Quinonez followed by four more wins. Barcelos described the Rosas fight as a product of the road he has traveled in the UFC, including the wins, losses and the pressure that came before this turnaround. That body of experience is also the foundation of how he views a closely matched fight at 135 pounds.

Barcelos sees tactics as the five-round change

Barcelos said he did not need major changes to his conditioning work for a 25-minute fight because he usually trains for more rounds. The adjustment, he said, was tactical rather than physical. He wants to be more cerebral as the bout progresses and make sure he remains on top of the rounds against Rosas. At the same time, Barcelos said he plans to begin aggressively and try to knock Rosas out. He also expects the matchup could move into wrestling and jiu-jitsu, but said he is going into the fight looking for a finish. For Barcelos, that approach is tied to the experience and maturity he believes matter in a well-matched contest.

• Barcelos opened his UFC tenure with five consecutive victories, then stopped his losing skid by submitting Cristian Quinonez in the third round before building a five-fight winning streak.
• Barcelos said his normal training already covers extended rounds, so his preparation for the five-round main event focused more on tactics and staying on top of the rounds.
• Barcelos plans an aggressive start and a search for a finish, while recognizing that wrestling and jiu-jitsu may be part of the matchup.

The matchup has a confirmed rankings context as well. Rosas and Barcelos are ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, in the UFC media rankings, with Barcelos one place behind Rosas. That places the two fighters next to one another in the listed order heading into their 135-pound main event. Barcelos said he has been through everything in the UFC, including knockouts, being knocked out, wins and losses, and believes that experience has weight in this fight. He wants to put on a great fight, win and have his arm raised. A victory over Rosas would be significant as Barcelos looks to go as far as he can in the division, and he said he wants to show the division that he is coming in strong for what he calls a new chapter.