“I feel like good wine”: 39-year-old Raoni Barcelos wants to shake up the UFC bantamweight division

Raoni Barcelos has climbed to No. 8 in the latest Meta UFC rankings. Raoni Barcelos waited nearly nine years for a UFC main event. When he finally gets it on Saturday, the 39-year-old Brazilian will share the cage with a fighter 18 years his junior and lined up alongside him in the bantamweight division.Raul Rosas Jr. will headline UFC Fight Night at Meta APEX in Las Vegas against Barcelos, with both men coming off a five-fight winning streak. Rosas is 21 and ranked No. 12, while Barcelos climbed to No. 8 in the latest Meta UFC rankings.For Barcelos, the opportunity to main event has been worth the wait.“I’m very happy. It’s a different feeling than others because I have my first main event after such a long time – almost nine years in the organization. Having this opportunity is very great for me. I’m taking advantage of it and experiencing it in the best possible way,” Barcelos told TimesofIndia.com.“I’m really happy about this moment. After nine years with the organization, I’m really enjoying every moment. I deserve this opportunity; I’ve deserved it for a long, long time and I’m really happy for this opportunity. So I want to give it my best out there.”Five rounds will be new for him in the UFC, but not completely new in his career.“I think I’ve been through everything in the organization. I’ve lost by knockout, I’ve lost on points, I’ve lost and been robbed, and I’ve won in many ways. I’ve been through very bad situations. I’ve fought five rounds. It wasn’t in the organization, but at the time of the RFA, I’d already fought five rounds and defended the title.”“So those are things that I’m a lot more mature now. Facing Raul Rosas, who’s only 21 years old, he still needs to go through some tough things and I think that’s the big difference.”

Five straight wins changed the equation

Barcelos’ five-fight streak includes wins over Payton Talbott, Cody Garbrandt, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson. His most recent victory, a split over Jackson in April, extended his streak to five. Jackson dropped him early before Barcelos recovered and used his wrestling to get back into the fight.Rosas’ last fight was also a decision, against Rob Font in March. He is 6-1 in the UFC and has built his game around wrestling and grappling. He also recorded six submission wins in his 13 professional victories.Barcelos said preparing for his last two opponents helped him develop in the same areas that could be important against Rosas.“The difference was striking. Montel was a very aggressive guy, so I had to wrestle a lot.”“Against Ricky Simon, I knew he had very good boxing, but he also had very sharp grappling and was very strong on the block. So it was two completely different camps, but through all these fights, I’m stronger in my wrestling and in my grappling.”“As far as the two camps go, first of all, Montel Jackson was a good striker and I worked a lot on my wrestling. Ricky Simon was a very aggressive fighter and he had really good grappling as well. I’ve been training and improving my grappling game, so that’s why I’m getting better and better every fight. That’s why I’m ready for this fight.”

At 39, Barcelos wants the top five

The 39-year-old is now talking about the top five rather than simply trying to get back up the rankings. He’s ranked No. 8 in the current UFC rankings, meaning a win over Rosas could put him within touching distance of the group he’s been targeting.“I have a taste for good wine, you know? I’m 39 years old, but I’m still young.”“I still feel young, you know? I train like I’m 21 and I feel good. So I don’t know when I can tell you when I’m going to stop fighting, you know when I’m going to keep fighting. But after this fight I want to be in the top five guys.”“I want to fight those guys and then 100 percent, soon I want to win the title soon. But before that I have to pass this guy and beat him and be in the top five of the rankings.”

“I’m the new kid” at bantamweight

The timing gives the fight meaning beyond the two spots immediately next to their names. Barcelos no longer considers himself an outsider to this group.“I’m a new guy in the division. It’s funny to say that because I’ve been in the division a long time and everyone knows me, but I’m showing that I can be among the best.”“So that’s my goal: to fight them and show more and more that it’s possible.“They know me every fight in the bantamweight division and now I’ve proven that I deserve to be where I am right now and I want to continue there.“I’m the new guy in this division now. The top five guys fight like this, but they need someone new and I’m the new guy.”Watch UFC Fight Night – Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos on 27 Sep 2026 from 5:30 IST Live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD and Sony LIV.