Raoni Barcelos: losing the fight, gaining the fame
He lost his first UFC main event, and gained +47% Instagram followers in four days.
On the same Fight Night 289 card, the typical loser gained 1.7% in Instagram followers over four days. The typical winner gained 3.9%. Raoni Barcelos, who lost, gained 47%: 54.6k to 80.4k.
Barcelos was headlining his first UFC main event, against Raul Rosas Jr. He was winning handily, and all he had to do was coast through the fifth round. Then, after a takedown in round 5, he went unconscious in the middle of the cage, was stretchered out and taken to hospital. Officially, it is a round-5 loss. It was also Fight of the Night.
Everyone watching wanted the same thing: to follow him and his story. Is he okay, what happened, what does he do next. That was an open loop in the audience's mind, and it paid him more than most wins.
A fighter can't control the night. He controls what happens next, outside the cage. If something happens to you on the biggest night of your career, post the update yourself, the same day: you're awake, here's what happened, here's what's next.
The open loop in the audience's mind is an opportunity.
Own the narrative, or someone else will control it for you.