Report: Assuncao out, Paiva steps in against Phillips

Raulian Paiva will reportedly move to bantamweight to face Kyler Phillips on July 10.

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.