Bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao is out of his July 10 bout against Kyler Phillips due to a biceps injury, but a replacement has reportedly been found. Per Combate, flyweight Raulian Paiva will move up a weight class to take the fight on short notice at UFC Vegas 32.
Although it is not certain whether the move to bantamweight is a permanent one, Paiva (20-3) did miss weight by three pounds in his last outing, when he defeat Zhalgas Zhumagulov by unanimous decision, in July 2020.
The win put the 25-year-old on a two-fight winning streak, with a knockout win over Mark De La Rosa in February of the same year. The Brazilian’s last loss happened in August 2019, when he suffered a TKO loss due to a cut to Rogerio Bontorin.
Still undefeated in the Octagon, Phillips (9-1) will look for his fourth straight UFC win after beating Gabriel Silva, Cameron Else and most recently, back in March, Song Yadong. The 26-year-old’s sole professional loss happened in October 2018, when he dropped a split decision to Victor Henry.
Now, Phillips is expected to meet Paiva at UFC Vegas 32, on July 24, in Las Vegas. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight bout between former champion T.J. Dillashaw and contender Cory Sandhagen.
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