Paul Craig (fighter)

Paul Craig
Born Paul Craig
(1987-11-27) 27 November 1987[1]
Airdrie, Scotland
Other names Bearjew
Nationality Scottish
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight 204 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Division Light Heavyweight
Reach 76 in (193 cm)
Fighting out of Coatbridge, Scotland
Team Scottish Hit Squad
Rank Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Marcos Nardini[2]
Years active 2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 12
Wins 10
By knockout 1
By submission 9
Losses 2
By knockout 2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Paul Craig (born 27 November 1987) is a Scottish mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2013, he formerly competed for BAMMA, where he was the Light Heavyweight Champion.

Early martial arts career

Paul Craig’s head Coach Brian Martin Gallacher took him from no martial arts experience to 8-0 as an amateur. To 9-0 as a pro in the space of 4 years

Professional mixed martial arts career

Craig won the BAMMA World Light Heavyweight Championship at BAMMA 23 when he defeated Marcin Lazarz by submission.[3] He was set to defend his title against Chris Fields in Dublin when it was postponed following the death of Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho. The match up was rescheduled but failed to take place due to Craig damaging his ankle ligaments.[4] Paul's first title defence was not rescheduled, as he signed a 4 fight deal with the UFC.[5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Craig made his promotional debut against Luis Henrique da Silva on 17 December 2016 at UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson. He won the fight via submission in Round 2, for which he was awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.[6]

Craig faced Tyson Pedro on 4 March 2017 at UFC 209.[7] He lost the bout via first round TKO.[8]

Craig faced Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio on 16 July 2017.[9] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[10]

Craig faced Magomed Ankalaev on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.[11] He won the fight via submission at 4:59 in Round 3, resulting in the latest submission finish in a 3 round fight in UFC history.[12] He was also awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.[13]

Following the win against Ankalaev, Craig signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC.[14]

Craig is scheduled to face newcomer Jim Crute on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[15]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Personal life

Paul played football before becoming a MMA fighter. He also worked as a football coach before becoming a teacher for an educational charity.[16][17]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–2 Magomed Ankalaev Submission (triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov 17 March 2018 3 4:59 London, England Performance of the Night.
Loss 9–2 Khalil Rountree KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio 16 July 2017 1 4:56 Glasgow, Scotland
Loss 9–1 Tyson Pedro TKO (elbows) UFC 209 4 March 2017 1 4:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Henrique da Silva Submission (armbar) UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson 17 December 2016 2 1:59 Sacramento, California, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 8–0 Marcin Łazarz Submission (triangle choke) BAMMA 23: Night of Champions 14 November 2015 1 3:51 London, England Won the BAMMA World Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Karl Moore Submission (guillotine choke) BAMMA 22: Duquesnoy vs. Loughnane 19 September 2015 2 0:48 Dublin, Ireland
Win 6–0 Adam Wright Submission (armbar) Animalistic MMA: Rise of the Alpha 20 June 2015 1 0:47 Preston, England
Win 5–0 Andrzej Bachorz Submission (D'Arce choke) FightStar Championship 5 11 April 2015 1 2:37 Coventry, England Won the vacant FightStar Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Dan Konecke TKO (punches) First Fighting Championship: Resurgence 13 September 2014 1 4:18 Hamilton, Scotland
Win 3–0 Jon Ferguson Submission (choke) Full Contact Contender 10 21 June 2014 1 1:50 Bolton, England
Win 2–0 Antonio Braga Submission (triangle choke) Underdog Xtreme Championships 2 1 March 2014 1 2:41 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 1–0 Brad Conway Submission (triangle choke) First Fighting Championship 3: Prepare For Glory 24 August 2013 1 2:00 Hamilton, Scotland

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Craig". Tapology. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  2. ↑ Darren Swan (October 20, 2016). "Paul Craig signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". #WHOATV.
  3. ↑ "Paul Craig: I knew I would win title when opponent smiled at me at weigh-in". Daily Record. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  4. ↑ "Why UFC 209's Paul Craig, who doesn't even really like MMA, fights for a living". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  5. ↑ "Paul Craig signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". Fights Day. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  6. ↑ "UFC on Fox 22 Bonuses: Waterson, Craig, Smith, Aldana Pocket $50K". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  7. ↑ "Australian light-heavyweight Tyson Pedro to take on Paul Craig at UFC 209". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  8. ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2017-03-04). "UFC 209 results: Tyson Pedro puts Paul Craig away in first with vicious elbows". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  9. ↑ Tom Heffernan (2017-04-21). "UFC announce first three fights for Glasgow show as Paul Craig returns". Daily Record. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  10. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Khalil Rountree thrashes Paul Craig for first-round KO". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  11. ↑ DNA, MMA. "Ongeslagen Magomed Ankalaev maakt UFC debuut tijdens UFC Londen tegen Paul Craig". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  12. ↑ Alexander K. Lee (2018-03-17). "UVideo: Paul Craig pulls off unbelievable last-second submission at UFC London". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  13. ↑ Dan Hiergesell (2018-03-17). "UFC Fight Night 127 bonuses: Alexander Volkov's main event knockout leads $50K winners". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  14. ↑ Shaun Al-Shatti (2018-03-21). "From retirement to re-upping: Paul Craig signs new four-fight deal after stunning UFC London comeback". mmafighting.com.
  15. ↑ "Paul Craig vs Jim Crute Set For UFC Fight Night 142 In Australia". MMAnytt.com. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  16. ↑ "Paul Craig". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  17. ↑ "Paul Craig". The Sun. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  • Paul Craig on Facebook
  • "Paul Craig". UFC.com.
  • Professional MMA record for Paul Craig from Sherdog Edit this at Wikidata
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