Raulian Paiva’s move up to the bantamweight division was a success Saturday with an upset of Kyler Phillips at UFC on ESPN 27.

After spending his previous octagon appearance at flyweight, Paiva (21-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) moved up and made an immediate impact with a come-from-behind majority decision upset of Phillips (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in 15-minute war. The scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 28-28.

The bantamweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 27 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Both men came out slinging heavy shots. Phillips landed the first big clean shot roughly 30 seconds in when he sat Paiva down on his butt, but the Brazilian quickly popped back up and stepped right back into a fire fight. Phillips’ movement kept him out of severe danger, and Paiva was keen to bring the fight to him, but struggled with the range.

Phillips threw an errant spinning kick that led to him slipping to the ground and ending on bottom, but he scrambled free, got on top and landed some shots of his own. He hurt Paiva badly with an explosive striking sequence in the final seconds, and nearly got the job done before his opponent was saved by the bell.

The Matrix letting it all go in Round 1⃣

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— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2021

Paiva came out with some desperation in the second frame. He quickly pressured into the clinch then tried to drop down for a heel hook, but Phillips wasn’t having any of it and scrambled free. That didn’t deter Paiva, though. He sensed an opening to land a big right hand on Phillips that put him on wobbly legs. Paiva kept the heat on and worked from inside the clinch, but Phillips wisely adjusted and secured a takedown of his own that allowed him to breath and recover.

It was clear Paiva didn’t want to let Phillips off the hook, though, and when it got back upright he attacked with some more solid combinations. Phillips dove for another takedown, and brilliantly managed to get on top and work for a submission. He couldn’t finish it, and the fight went back to its feet where both guys landed clean. The pace slowed a bit, and they clinched to end another wild round.

Shifting momentum

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— UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2021

There was hunger for the victory from both sides going into the final round. Both men were clearly fatigued, and they measured their strikes. Phillips had success on the feet, but so did Paiva. They couldn’t connect with the fight-ending shot, though, and despite some clear connections no one went down. Phillips shot for a takedown with a little more than two minutes left to try and tip the scale in his favor, but it was Paiva who got top control down the stretch.

Phillips was able to stand up in the final seconds, and they traded a few punches until the final bell of a thrilling and tightly contested affair.

One hell of an appetizer for tonight’s bantamweight battle!

@KyMatrix & @RaulianPaivaMMA put in a CLINIC for us! #UFCVegas32 pic.twitter.com/VS4s7eMsTG

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 25, 2021

In the end the judges saw the advantage for Paiva, who agreed with the call.

“I knew in my heart I was going to win,” Paiva said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I don’t know how. It was a tough fight and I was going to find a way to win.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 27 results include:

• Raulian Paiva vs. Kyler Phillips
• Darren Elkins def. Darrick Minner via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:48
• Maycee Barber def. Miranda Maverick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Adrian Yanez def. Randy Costa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:11
• Brendan Allen def. Puna Soriano via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Nassourdine Imavov def. Ian Heinisch via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:09
• Mickey Gall def. Jordan Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:57
• Julio Arce def. Andre Ewell via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:45
• Sijara Eubanks def. Elise Reed via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:49
• Diana Belbita def. Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)