Initially tabbed by trainers and teammates as the natural Brazilian successor to Jose Aldo as the future of the bantamweight division, Raoni Barcelos hasn’t climbed the rankings in the manner many expected after his UFC debut in 2018.
After winning his first five Octagon appearances, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and national wrestling champion dropped back-to-back decisions against Timur Valiev and Victor Henry. That prompted him to leave Rizzo RVT at the beginning of 2022 to train with former UFC fighter Davi Ramos.
"Training with guys like Davi and Rousimar Palhares brought me back to my grappling roots,” Barcelos told Sherdog.