UFC flyweight Raulian Paiva and his girlfriend Tielly Alves were injured after being struck by a car while riding a motorcycle in Santana, Brazil on Sunday morning, and Alves remains in coma.
According to multiple reports by the local media, Paiva and Alves were at a night club Saturday night. At approximately 4 a.m., Paiva and his girlfriend decided to leave the place after two men started to harass her.
They left on a motorcycle and were followed by the two men on a car, Paiva’s manager Tiago Okamura told MMA Fighting on Monday. Paiva stopped the motorcycle at a red light moments later and was hit from behind by the car. Paiva didn’t suffer any serious injury, but Alves remains in coma at the intensive care unit of a local hospital.
“When the car hit them, looks like Raulian fell off the motorcycle so he just got injured from the fall, but the car dragged the motorcycle with her on it for some time,” Okamura said. “He’s a bit hurt, but nothing serious. She’s still in coma.”
“That was uncalled for, they had no motives,” he continued. “These guys tried to kill them for no reason.”
In a video that surfaced on social media, the alleged driver says he didn’t try to hit the motorcycle. The unidentified man says that another man, that was sitting on the passenger’s seat, allegedly moved the steering wheel to hit Paiva and his girlfriend. The car caught on fire right after the accident.
Paiva’s coach Ronildo Nobre told MMA Fighting that two men were arrested by the police.
Paiva (18-1), winner of 12 fights in a row, signed an exclusive deal with the UFC after defeatingAllan Nascimento via split decision at the Brazilian edition of Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas, NV, in August. The promotion has yet to book his UFC debut.
