Former UFC fighter Raulian Paiva arrested for domestic violence in Brazil

Former UFC fighter Raulian Paiva arrested for domestic violence in Brazil.

Former UFC fighter Raulian Paiva has been arrested in Brazil, according to Globo Esporte Amapá and AG Fight, two Brazilian news outlets.

Both outlets’ reporting was translated from Portuguese to English by Google translate.

According to reports, Paiva was arrested for allegedly “committing physical and verbal aggression against his wife in the municipality of Santana, in the metropolitan region of Macapá.”

The incident is said to have happened on Monday, Jan. 23.

Paiva’s wife, identified as Vanilza Santos, told police that Paiva forced her to leave their home and said, “I’m going to kill you and throw your things in the street.” She said that Paiva ran towards her car but “stopped after realizing that she was accompanied by a friend, who witnessed what happened.” She said Paiva had “physically and psychologically assaulted” her three days prior to the incident. A witness confirmed her statements, the report says.

Paiva posted a R$ 2,000 (approximately $393 USD) bail and has been released.

Raulian Paiva denies allegations of domestic violence

Paiva took to his Instagram Stories to deny the crime, but reportedly told police that the relationship has “always been troubled and with records of verbal violence.”

In an interview with Globo Esporte Amapá, he also denied the allegations saying, “The threats and aggressions are a lie. We had an argument and in a moment of fury, my wife went to the police station and filed a complaint with a hot head. But we’ve sorted it out and we’re fine.”

His wife gave birth to their child in early December, according to Instagram posts from Paiva.

Paiva was released from the UFC on January 18 after back-to-back losses to Sean O’Malley and Sergey Morozov. He initially earned his contract to the UFC after his win over Allan Nascimento on DWCS in 2018.

In Dec. 2022, Elber Nunes Zacheu was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the murder of Tieli Alves, Paiva’s then-girlfriend. He was also charged with the attempted murder Paiva, according to MMA Fighting.

Zacheu was the passenger in a car who chased after a disagreement in a bar. According to the outlet, “Paiva stopped his motorcycle at a red light and was hit by the car. Alves’ helmet went off on the fall, and she was dragged by the car for ‘at least 65 feet.’ Alves died six days later.”

“That’s not enough time for what he did, the crime he committed, but justice is being done,” Paiva told MMA Fighting. “Justice is flawed in Brazil, but I hope he pays for what he did. We can’t do anything else. We’re happy he’ll be in prison. Not for long, but he will be in prison. Nothing will bring Tieli back to life, but at least he’ll stay in prison for 16 years.”

The driver is still awaiting trial.