The year couldn’t have started off much worse for UFC bantamweight Raulian Paiva.
After being hospitalized since December 20, Paiva’s father – Jose Moyses Frazao – has reportedly passed away due to COVID-19 complications; he was 71-years-old. A message to Paiva’s fans and supporters was left on his official Instagram account, paying tribute to his father’s memory.
“It is with a heavy heart that I come here to inform that Raulian Paiva’s father has passed away on the night of January 9, 2022. Mr. Moyses was a great warrior and he will always make us proud. My condolences to the family.”
According to a conversation between Paiva and Brazilian news outlet Globo Esporte AP, Moyses’ condition was aggravated due to a bacterial blood infection, which ultimately resulted in his passing.
This isn’t the first time Paiva has faced tragedy in his life. Shortly after the current Team Alpha Male talent was signed by the UFC, his 25-year-old girlfriend was killed when she and Paiva were intentionally struck by a drunk driver while they were riding on a motorcycle.
After a rough start to his UFC career, Paiva (21-4) is now 3-3 with the promotion, having picked up victories over Mark de La Rosa, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and Kyler Phillips. Most recently he faced off against bantamweight top prospect Sean O’Malley, losing that bout via 1st round stoppage. In a recent post to his Instagram account Paiva hoped that he could get a booking for the UFC’s upcoming return to Brazil for a PPV event on May 7th.
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