Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Raulian Paiva (©UFC)
Raulian Paiva, 24, of Santana, Amapa, Brazil was one of the “UFC 251” winners. It was the Brazilian mixed martial artist’s second victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Featuring 13 MMA matches, “UFC 251” took place at the UFC Fight Island on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on July 11, 2020 (or July 12, 2020 in the UAE). In the third bout, Paiva fought Zhalgas Zhumagulov, 31, of Aktobe, Kazakhstan in the flyweight division.
Leon Roberts served as the referee. After three five-minute rounds, the flyweight contest was left in the hands of the three judges.
All of the judges scored it 29-28. In the end, Roberts raised the hand of Paiva, who was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
Winning at “UFC 251” improved Paiva’s professional MMA record to 20 wins and 3 losses. The Santana native is now riding a two-bout winning streak.
On the other hand, Zhumagulov now has 13 wins and 4 losses. The Kazakh MMA fighter made his UFC debut at “UFC 251.”
Including Brazil and Kazakhstan, 12 countries were represented at “UFC 251.” The others were Australia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland and the U.S.
Zhumagulov solely represented Kazakhstan. Paiva was one of the eight representatives of Brazil.
In the co-main event, Max “Blessed” Holloway, 28, of Waiane, Hawaii, USA lost to UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski, 31, of Windang, New South Wales, Australia. In the main event, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, 35, of Miami, Florida, USA lost to UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman, 33, who was fighting out of Nigeria by way of Delray Beach, Florida.
Born on October 17, 1995, Paiva has been competing professionally since 2013. Before joining the UFC, he competed in ExpoFight Amapa, W-Combat, North Extreme Cagefighting, Gladiadores MMA, Eco Fight Championship, Eco Fight Championship, Iron Man Vale Tudo, Pezao Combate and Salvaterra Marajo Fight.
After competing in “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Brazil” Season 1 episode 3, Paiva made his UFC debut. The first two opponent he defeated in the promotion was Mark “Bumblebee” De La Rosa, 25, of Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
