UFC vet Raulian Paiva’s wife now claims the bantamweight never threatened or hurt her following the initial report.
Following an initial report of domestic violence, former UFC bantamweight Raulian Paiva’s wife has recently changed her story. Per Globo Esporte, the fighter’s wife, who also serves as his manager, now claims he never did any of the things she accused him of.
In the original report, she had pressed charges against Paiva for allegedly abusing her psychologically and physically, while also threatening to kill her. In the outcome, Raulian was arrested for domestic violence but got released after posting bail.
The police chief in charge of the case claimed that a witness could confirm Paiva’s threats and her original accusations.
Shortly after, Paiva went on his Instagram page to deny the accusations.
“I’m home with my family and everything’s OK,” Paiva said after posting bail. “The threats and assault (accusations) are lies. We had an argument and in a moment of fury, my wife went to the police station in the heat of the moment and filed a report. We sorted it out and are all right now.”
Now, his wife told Globo Esporte a similar story in a new interview. She also blamed the media for exaggerating.
“Raulian and I had an couple’s argument, like everyone does. I pressed the charges in the heat of the moment, but he never really hurt or threatened to kill me. The media always exaggerate.”
The couple has been together for two years and four months, and welcomed the birth of their first daughter just last month.
Paiva (21-5) was released from the UFC on a two-fight losing skid, with losses to Sergey Morozon and Sean O’Malley. The 27-year-old’s stint lasted for seven fights, out of which he won three and lost four. The Brazilian’s most recent victory dates back to July 2021, when he defeated Kyler Phillips by majority decision.