Flyweight Raulian Paiva and his girlfriend were hit by a car after leaving a night club in Santana, Brazil.
Newly signed with the UFC, flyweight Raulian Paiva and his girlfriend, Tieli Medeiros, were involved in a car accident after leaving a night club in Santana, Brazil, on October 21. Paiva, who just scored a contract after participating in Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil, has yet to make his Octagon debut.
According to Globo Esporte’s report, Paiva allegedly was involved in an argument around four in the morning at the night club. Ronildo Nobre, Raulian’s coach, claims his athlete and Medeiros left the place on a motorcycle but were followed by two people and hit at an intersection. After the crash, the couple was dragged by the car, which crashed and burned until it was completely destroyed.
Still per Nobre, Paiva only suffered minor injuries, but Tiele is in critical state at the Santana Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“When the car hit them, looks like Raulian fell off the motorcycle so he just got injured from the fall, but the car dragged the motorcycle with her on it for some time,” Paiva’s manager Tiago Okamura said to MMA Fighting. “He’s a bit hurt, but nothing serious. She’s still in coma.”
“That was uncalled for, they had no motives,” he continued. “These guys tried to kill them for no reason.”
Nobre also told MMA Fighting that the two men have since been arrested.
Raulian Paiva (18-1) was awarded an UFC contract after defeating Allan Nascimento via split decision. The win brought the 23-year-old’s win streak to 12 straight wins, with a KO win over Octagon vet Iliarde Santos. The Brazilian hasn’t lost a fight since October 2015, when he was submitted by Luan Lacerda via anaconda choke.