'New History': 21-Year-Old UFC Fighter Knock Out Veteran at 39... Thrilling TKO Victory in 'Historic Brawl'

*This content was translated by AI.

Raul Rosas Jr. (21, USA), the youngest fighter in UFC bantamweight history, made new history. He secured a dramatic fifth-round slam TKO comeback against the oldest competitor, Hagoni Barcelos (39, Brazil), and surged to six consecutive wins.

Ranked 12th in the UFC bantamweight division, Rosas Jr. defeated the 13th-ranked Barcelos via slam TKO in just 1 minute and 38 seconds of the fifth round at the main event of 'UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos' held on the 27th (Korea time) at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The winner of this matchup, which featured the largest age gap (18 years) ever recorded in UFC history since the introduction of unified MMA rules, was 21-year-old prodigy Raul Rosas Jr. Having signed the youngest contract in UFC history after progressing through Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) at age 17 in 2022, Rosas Jr. previously set records for the youngest victory at 18 and the youngest ranking entry at 21 last March. With this win, he improved his UFC record to 7 wins and 1 loss, and his overall MMA record to 13 wins and 1 loss.

The bout was an intense brawl worthy of the 'Fight of the Night' bonus (approximately 100 million won). In the early first round, Rosas Jr. gained the upper hand by landing heavy punches that caused swelling around Barcelos's eyes. However, veteran Barcelos fought back fiercely. From the second round onward, Barcelos broke Rosas Jr.'s mobility with sharp body punches and body kicks, then successfully landed clean facial strikes and followed up with takedowns. In the fourth round, Barcelos secured a back mount position and attempted rear-naked chokes multiple times, firmly establishing a lead on the official scorecards through the end of the round.

Facing a likely loss by decision, Rosas Jr. staked his fate on the final fifth round. Immediately after the round began, he roared to energize the crowd and launched an aggressive assault, including flying knee kicks. When Barcelos clinched him against the cage, Rosas Jr. immediately attempted a counter takedown, tripping the opponent's legs and slamming him forcefully to the mat. During this slam, Barcelos lost consciousness from the impact, prompting the referee to stop the fight immediately and declare a TKO victory for Rosas Jr.

Barcelos was rushed to the hospital immediately after the takedown. Fortunately, he regained consciousness and recovered to a state where he could converse and move, though the exact cause of his fainting is still under investigation. Rosas Jr., who also sustained significant damage during the fierce striking battle, skipped the post-fight press conference and headed straight to the hospital.

In an octagon interview, Rosas Jr. said, "I hope everyone wishes Barcelos a speedy recovery. He was a true warrior, and such a great fight can only happen when both fighters give their all." He then confidently demanded, "At 21 years old, I fought in the main event like this, so I deserve the $100,000 bonus, and my ranking should shoot up to sixth or seventh place."

Meanwhile, at the finals of the reality program 'The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 34' held alongside today's event, female strawweight (52.2 kg) Tina Black (Brazil) defeated Melisa Amaya (USA) via punch TKO in 3 minutes and 19 seconds of the second round to secure a UFC contract. In the men's bantamweight final, Mehmedeli Osmanli (Azerbaijan) committed an illegal ground knee strike to the head of fallen Yilmbek Akilbek (Kyrgyzstan), causing Akilbek to lose consciousness. The match ended with Osmanli disqualified after just 2 minutes and 19 seconds of the first round.

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*This content was translated by AI.