UFC Fight Night 289: Raul Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos Preview & Prediction

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Mexican prospect, Raul Rosas Jr., gets his first main event spot, taking on seasoned veteran, Raoni Barcelos, at 135 pounds.

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos facts

What time are Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos expected to walk out? 27 September 2026 at 3:45 am

Where is UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 289

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos main card

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos (Bantamweight)

Norma Dumont vs Ailin Perez (Women's Bantamweight)

Luis Hernandez vs Sedriques Dumas (Light Heavyweight)

Mehemmedeli Osmanli vs Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu (Bantamweight)

Melissa Amaya vs Valesca Machado (Women's Strawweight)

UFC Fight Night 289: Rosas Jr. vs Barcelos prelims

Brady Hiestand vs Rinya Nakamura (Bantamweight)

Rodolfo Vieira vs Robert Bryczek (Middleweight)

Rodolfo Bellato vs Christian Edwards (Light Heavyweight)

Josiah Harrell vs Elves Brener vs Josiah Harrell (Lightweight)

Montel Jackson vs Ricky Simon (Bantamweight)

John Castaneda vs Alateng Heili (Bantamweight)

Vanessa Demopoulos vs Yazmin Jauregui (Women's Strawweight)

Raul Rosas Jr.: Can "El Nino Problema" produce a statement victory in his first main event?

Returning for his first main event spot after dominating Rob Font last time out, Raul Rosas Jr. (12-1) looks to take out another seasoned vet at 135 pounds. The youngest fighter to be signed to the promotion and enter the rankings, Rosas has been perfect outside of a decision loss to credentialed prospect killer, Christian Rodriguez, with the caveat that he's been fighting fairly mediocre competition. An excellent grappler, Rosas leverages his large frame to work from the top and hunt the back, although he's been guilty of prioritizing control over damage in many of his bouts to date.

Raoni Barcelos: The crafty veteran looks to turn back another upstart prospect

A 1-4 run that included a nasty KO loss to Umar Nurmagomedov between 2021 and 2023 seemed to spell the end of the line for Raoni Barcelos (22-5), only for the Brazilian veteran to rebound with one of the more impressive late career resurgences in recent memory. Barcelos is 5-0 since last losing to Kyler Phillips in 2023, a run that includes victories over super prospect, Payton Talbott, and former champion, Cody Garbrandt. Barcelos isn’t much of a finisher, but he’s extremely well-rounded, mixing the martial arts seamlessly and relying on a wealth of experience to grind his way to victory. 

Raul Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos prediction

Even as a die-hard Raoni Barcelos fan, this is a stinky headliner. This is the sort of matchup you would expect to see on the prelims of a numbered card, not a Fight Night main event.

In any case, all bias aside, I’m picking Barcelos as an underdog fairly confidently. He has excellent takedown defence and scrambles extremely well, meaning that I’m confident in his ability to reverse position or find his way back to the feet even if Rosas is able to secure a takedown. Rosas may have had his way in the wrestling last time out, but Rob Font has always had dismal takedown defence and I’m not sold on him working the same game on a well-rounded veteran like Barcelos based on that performance.

I’m even more confident in terms of the striking exchanges. Rosas’ striking has come along considerably, but Barcelos has held his own on the feet with heavy hitters like Cody Garbrandt, Ricky Simon, and Montel Jackson. He’s not much of a KO threat, but I think that when this one is being contested on the feet, he’s going to be far too wiley for “El Nino Problema.”

There’s always the chance that Rosas leans on his size advantage and just takes Barcelos down and blobs him for five rounds, but we’re going with the veteran by decision here.

Prediction: Raoni Barcelos to win by decision