Raulian Paiva survived a tough first round to take home a majority decision over Kyler Phillips in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 32.
Kyler Phillips was looking to keep his UFC record flawless at UFC Vegas 32 taking on short-notice opponent Raulian Paiva. Phillips was originally supposed to face veteran Raphael Assuncao, but the Brazilian pulled out last month. Phillips was coming off a victory over Song Yadong that improved him to 3-0 in the Octagon.
Paiva was making his UFC bantamweight debut after missing the flyweight limit in his last bout. Paiva lost his first two Octagon bouts before winning in his most recent two.
Paiva caught a kick early on and fired a pair of punches. Phillips was then countered by a Paiva combination. However, Phillips dropped Paiva with a straight punch down the pipe. Paiva avoided big shots from Phillips to recover, then got Phillips off his feet by catching a kick and landing a straight. Phillips returned to his feet quickly with a kimura and hurt Paiva again with a straight punch, forcing a desperation takedown attempt from Paiva. After they separated, Phillips slipped after a wheel kick attempt and Paiva took top position. Phillips scrambled out and rocked Paiva once more towards the end of the round, but Paiva made it to the end of the round.
The Matrix letting it all go in Round 1️⃣
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— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2021
Paiva came out blazing in the second round. Attempting a takedown followed by a heel hook try. Paiva then knocked Phillips down with a straight punch and began battering his opponent after Phillips popped back up. Phillips then got a huge takedown to slow things down. Paiva again won the stand up exchange when they returned to the feet, forcing another takedown from Phillips. Both men were visibly tired when they returned to the feet prior to the end of the round.
Shifting momentum 😱
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— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2021
Phillips went for a takedown early in the final round but it was stuffed early. Paiva landed a big combination, but Phillips was mixing in the takedowns skillfully. However, Phillips was reversed on one takedown attempt and ended up on his back. Paiva had half guard and threw as many punches as he could muster, attempting to make up for his early deficit. Time expired and Paiva fell to the canvas due to exhaustion.
Raulian Paiva def. Kyler Phillips by Majority Decision (29-28 x2, 28-28)
