Raulian Paiva

Scouting report

Raulian Paiva comes from Santana in the Brazilian state of Amapa, where he still trains. He is a jiu-jitsu black belt who has worked with Team Alpha Male and the Ronildo Nobre Judo Club. He earned a UFC contract by beating Allan Nascimento on Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 3 in August 2018. His UFC wins came against Mark De La Rosa, Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Kyler Phillips. The UFC released him in January 2023.

Peak ratings

Raulian Paiva: a regional champion from Amapa who got in through the Contender Series

Before the UFC, Paiva won the NEC bantamweight title on July 9, 2016 by beating Chrysangelo Moraes at NEC 27. His Contender Series win over Nascimento was a split decision. He debuted at UFC 234 in Melbourne on February 10, 2019 and lost a split decision to Kai Kara-France. Six months later a deep cut over his eyebrow ended his fight with Rogerio Bontorin. His UFC record finished 3-4, and two scheduled fights fell through.

Paiva, one rating at a time

Boxing. 76. Mark De La Rosa was knocked out with punches at 4:42 of round two at UFC Fight Night 167 in Rio Rancho in February 2020. It was Paiva's only UFC finish.

Kickboxing. 75. His debut with the promotion at UFC 234 went to Kara-France on a split decision, so the striking exchange was close.

Wrestling. 72. Sergey Morozov beat him on a unanimous decision in Las Vegas in June 2022.

BJJ. 74. He holds a jiu-jitsu black belt, but none of his UFC wins came by submission. One was a knockout, the other two were decisions.

Strength. 70, the number he is weakest at. Sean O'Malley stopped him with punches at 4:42 of round one at UFC 269 in December 2021.

Durability. 76. The gash over his eyebrow against Bontorin in Montevideo in August 2019 forced a doctor's stoppage at 2:56 of round one.

Cardio. 82, his best. He went three rounds with Zhumagulov at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi in July 2020 and won unanimously. He fought Phillips for three rounds in July 2021.

Fight IQ. 74. He moved back to bantamweight for the Phillips fight and won a majority decision. Fourteen of 16 media scorers had it as a draw, and the fight earned Fight of the Night honors.

He is best when the fight goes long

Cardio at 82 is his strongest rating. The Zhumagulov fight was contested at a 129 pound catchweight after Paiva missed weight and was fined 20 percent of his purse. He still won a unanimous decision. Against Phillips, 14 of 16 media outlets scored the fight a draw, yet Paiva took the majority decision and the fight earned Fight of the Night. In a draft he suits a build that already has finishing power elsewhere.

Strength at 70, and weight cuts that cost him fights

O'Malley stopped him in the first round at UFC 269, five months after the Phillips win. Morozov won on the scorecards six months after that. Away from the fights, a knee injury forced him out of an October 2020 bout with Amir Albazi, and he withdrew from a May 2021 fight with David Dvorak the day before the event because of the effects of his weight cut. He missed weight again for a UAE Warriors bout in October 2023. A heavier punch in the build would cover the gap.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Raulian Paiva is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Raulian Paiva's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.