Raphael Assuncao forced out of UFC Vegas 20 fight with Raoni Barcelos

Raphael Assuncao has been forced out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 20 fight against fellow bantamweight Raoni Barcelos, MMA Junkie reports.

The report in question indicates that Assuncao has withdrawn for unknown reasons, marking just the second time he has pulled out of a scheduled fight since 2013.

Assuncao is coming off the back of a three-fight losing streak with defeats to Marlon Moraes, Cory Sandhagen and Cody Garbrandt to his name, whereas Barcelos is 5-0 in the UFC and holds a 16-1 pro record.

There’s no way of denying the fact that Assuncao is approaching the final stages of his mixed martial arts career, but many were still interested to see how he’d match up with a rising prospect like Barcelos.

Four of Barcelos’ last seven scheduled bouts have been canceled but after getting back into the Octagon last November he’s clearly hungry for some activity, although it’s not yet known if the UFC will rebook this fight for later in 2021.

At the age of 38 we all know that Assuncao has been there and done it all in this sport, but what many fans don’t know is that he actually fought Jorge Masvidal at an early stage in his career. The man himself, however, doesn’t like to brag about it too much.

“It just happened at 155 in Atlanta. I was 4-0, both undefeated and that is the fight that happened,” Assuncao explained to BJPENN.com. “I accepted it knowing he was a bigger guy. But, I said let’s make it happen.”

“I took every fight I could get, that is why that happened,” Assuncao added. “I accepted it, but I was supposed to fight Yves Edwards. That fight didn’t happen because I tried to negotiate more money,” he said. “They offered 1500/1500 to fight Edwards and I said no, 3000/3000 to get the fight. They didn’t want it. That fight didn’t happen.”

“It is all part of the game. I don’t say oh I beat Masvidal but it is cool,” Assuncao concluded. “I’ve been in this game for a long time. I’ve fought everybody man and always improving.”

What do you think the future holds for Raphael Assuncao?