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Saddened UFC Star Raulian Paiva Reflects on the Sentence of His Girlfriend’s Murderer – “That’s Not Enough Time for What He Did”

Published 12/06/2022, 4:32 PM EST

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UFC fighter Raulian Paiva finally received justice as the man responsible for his girlfriend’s murder received a sixteen-year imprisonment sentence. Tieli Alves, the girlfriend of the UFC bantamweight, died in an accident in Santana, Brazil in October 2018. The accused, Elber Nunes Zacheu, is also facing attempted murder charges against Paiva and hitting another man with a bottle. The incident happened after Paiva and Alves left a nightclub following an altercation with Zacheu and another man, Johny de Souza Amoras.

A car hit the pair from behind while they were at a red light on a motorcycle. Zacheu was in the passenger’s seat while Amoras allegedly drove the vehicle. The latter was a fugitive since 2019 but was arrested a day before Zacheu’s trial. Amoras’ trial is expected to be in 2023.

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Raulian Paiva reacts to girlfriend’s murderer’s sentence

Reports stated that after hitting their motorcycle, Tieli Alves lost her helmet and the car dragged her for at least 65 feet. Paiva, on the other hand, did not sustain any serious injuries. Alves was in a coma for a few days until finally succumbing to her injuries six days later.

via Imago

Responding to the verdict, Paiva said, “That’s not enough time for what he did, the crime he committed, but justice is being done. Justice is flawed in Brazil, but I hope he pays for what he did. We can’t do anything else.”

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He continued, “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.”

Speaking of the second accused, the 27-year-old said, “Now we’ll wait for Johny’s trial next year, and we hope he gets at least 20 years. He’s the one that was driving the car and did what he did to us.”

The tragedy struck Paiva while he was waiting for his UFC debut after signing for them earlier that year. However, he did not give up on his dream, despite the heartbreaking loss of his girlfriend.

Paiva continued his UFC dream for his late girlfriend

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In an interview with MMA Fighting, following the passing of his girlfriend, Tieli Alves, Paiva mentioned that he considered retiring from MMA. However, he reconsidered the thought, as it was not what Alves would have wanted. In an interview following the incident, he said,

“My life has no meaning anymore, really. But she always said she didn’t want to see me give up. She was very proud of what I have accomplished, she was thrilled with this fight on the Contender Series, and her parents told me that I shouldn’t give up because she was proud that I had made it to the UFC. If it’s over for me, I should fight for her, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Four years hence, Paiva has completed 7 fights in the UFC. During this period, he fought top contenders like Sean O’Malley and Kai Kara-France.

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What are your thoughts on the sentence? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Yeswanth Praveen

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Yeswanth Praveen is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His interests mainly lie in the realm of MMA, bodybuilding, and the fitness industry. He finished his Master's in English literature from EFLU, Hyderabad.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana