Back to the MMA Newsfeed

Raulian Paiva will call for Raphael Assuncao fight after replacing him at UFC Vegas 32

Raulian Paiva stepped in to replace Raphael Assuncao on Saturday at UFC Vegas 32, taking on Kyler Phillips in his first octagon bout as a bantamweight. If victorious in Las Vegas, Paiva will ask for a quick turnaround against Assuncao.

Once ranked a top-10 in the UFC flyweight division, Paiva hopes to be “thrown at the lions” in the 135-pound class to “show the UFC and the division that I have what it takes do to well” and “fight for the title in the near future.”

“Get me a top-10 or top-12, that’s perfect,” Paiva said of his next step in the bantamweight division during an interview with MMA Fighting.