Paul Craig (fighter)

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 BAMMA World Light Heavyweight Champion.

Paul Craig
BornPaul Craig
(1987-11-27) 27 November 1987[1]
Airdrie, Scotland
Other namesBearjew
NationalityScottish
Height6 ft 3 1⁄2 in (1.92 m) [2]
Weight206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)[3]
DivisionLight heavyweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)
Fighting out ofCoatbridge, Scotland
TeamScottish Hit Squad
RankBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Marcos Nardini[4]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins12
By knockout1
By submission11
Losses4
By knockout3
By submission1
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Craig’s head coach Brian Gallagher took him from no martial arts experience to 8-0 as an amateur. As a professional, Craig went 9-0 over the span of four years before being signed by the UFC.

He won the BAMMA World Light heavyweight Championship at BAMMA 23 when he defeated Marcin Lazarz by submission.[5] 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.[6] Paul's first title defence was not rescheduled, as he signed a 4 fight deal with the UFC.[7]

Brazilian jiu jitsu

Paul Craig is also a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor, competing in the Absolute and Super Heavyweight Divisions.

He took part in the 2013 Scottish BJJ Nationals, taking 1st place in the Advanced 97.5 kg Division.

Craig was also in the 2013 Scotia Cup Winter Leg, taking 1st place in both Purple Belt Super Heavyweight and Purple Belt Absolute Divisions.

He competed in the 2015 British Pro Jiu Jitsu Championship, taking 1st place in the Purple Belt 95+ kg Division, qualifying himself to the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship and also 3rd place in the Absolute Purple 75+ kg Division.

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,[8] for which he was awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.[9]

Craig faced Tyson Pedro on 4 March 2017 at UFC 209.[10] He lost the bout via first round TKO.[11]

Craig faced Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio on 16 July 2017.[12] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[13]

Craig faced Magomed Ankalaev on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.[14] 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.[15] He was also awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.[16]

Following the win against Ankalaev, Craig signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC.[17]

Craig faced promotional newcomer Jimmy Crute on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[18] He lost the fight via kimura in the third round.[19]

Craig faced promotional newcomer Kennedy Nzechukwu on 30 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2.[20] He won the fight via triangle choke in the third round.[21] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[22]

Craig faced Alonzo Menifield on 29 June 2019 at UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos.[23] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[24]

Craig faced Vinicius Moreira on 21 September 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 17.[25] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.[26]> This win earn Craig his fourth Performance of the Night award.[27]

Craig stepped in on short notice against Mauricio Rua on 16 November 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22, replacing Sam Alvey who withdrew from the bout due to a broken hand.[28][29] After three rounds, the back-and-forth fight was declared a split draw.[30]

Craig was expected to face Ryan Spann on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards.[31] However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled.[32]

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.[37]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
17 matches 12 wins 4 losses
By knockout 1 3
By submission 11 1
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Draw 12–4–1 Maurício Rua Draw (split) UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré 16 November 2019 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 12–4 Vinicius Moreira Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens 21 September 2019 1 3:19 Mexico City, Mexico Performance of the Night.
Loss 11–4 Alonzo Menifield KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos 29 June 2019 1 3:19 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 11–3 Kennedy Nzechukwu Submission (triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje 30 March 2019 3 4:20 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Performance of the Night.
Loss 10–3 Jimmy Crute Submission (kimura) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa 2 December 2018 3 4:51 Adelaide, Australia
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 Jr. 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 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 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

[38]

See also

References
  1. "Paul Craig". Tapology. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  2. "Paul Craig UFC Profile". ufc.com.
  3. "UFC Adelaide weigh in results: Mark Hunt scuffles with Justin Willis (video)". MMAFighting.com. November 30, 2018.
  4. Darren Swan (October 20, 2016). "Paul Craig signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". #WHOATV.
  5. "Paul Craig: I knew I would win title when opponent smiled at me at weigh-in". Daily Record. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  6. "Why UFC 209's Paul Craig, who doesn't even really like MMA, fights for a living". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  7. "Paul Craig signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". Fights Day. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  8. Doyle, Dave (2016-12-17). "UFC on FOX 22 results: Paul Craig submits Luis Henrique da Silva". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  9. "UFC on Fox 22 Bonuses: Waterson, Craig, Smith, Aldana Pocket $50K". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  10. "Australian light-heavyweight Tyson Pedro to take on Paul Craig at UFC 209". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  11. 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.
  12. Tom Heffernan (2017-04-21). "UFC announce first three fights for Glasgow show as Paul Craig returns". Daily Record. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  13. "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Khalil Rountree thrashes Paul Craig for first-round KO". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  14. DNA, MMA. "Ongeslagen Magomed Ankalaev maakt UFC debuut tijdens UFC Londen tegen Paul Craig". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  15. Alexander K. Lee (2018-03-17). "UVideo: Paul Craig pulls off unbelievable last-second submission at UFC London". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. "Paul Craig vs Jim Crute Set For UFC Fight Night 142 In Australia". MMAnytt.com. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  19. Dave Doyle. "UFC Adelaide results: Jim Crute submits Paul Craig in fight's closing seconds". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  20. Amy MacBeath (2019-01-23). "UPaul Craig: UFC Scot to fight Kennedy Nzechukwu in Philadelphia". bbc.com. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  21. "UFC Philadelphia: Paul Craig subs Kennedy Nzechukwu despite repeated eyepokes". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  22. Haynes, Stephie (2019-03-30). "UFC Philadelphia post-fight bonuses: Gaethje's massive KO nets FOTN honors". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  23. Marcel Dorff (2019-04-26). "Undefeated Alonzo Menifield meets Scotsman Paul Craig during UFC Minneapolis" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  24. Harshman, Heath (2019-06-29). "UFC Minneapolis Results: Alonzo Menifield Sleeps Paul Craig in the First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  25. Sherdog.com. "Sergio Pettis vs. Alex Perez, Two Other Contests Confirmed for UFC Mexico City on Sept. 21". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  26. "UFC on ESPN+ 17 play-by-play and live results". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  27. Fernando Quiles Jr (2019-09-22). "UFC Mexico City Bonuses & Attendance Revealed • MMA News". MMA News. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  28. Staff (2019-10-27). "Sam Alvey: Broken hand behind 'heartbreaking' withdrawal vs. 'Shogun' Rua at UFC on ESPN+ 22". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  29. Guilherme Cruz (October 29, 2019). "'Shogun' Rua vs. Paul Craig announced for UFC Sao Paulo". mmafighting.com.
  30. Doherty, Dan (2019-11-16). "UFC Sao Paulo Results: Shogun Rua and Paul Craig Fight to a Draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  31. Jay Anderson (December 19, 2019). "UFC London Adds Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann". cagesidepress.com.
  32. O2, The. "Cancelled | UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Woodley vs. Edwards | The O2". www.theo2.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  33. "UFC on Fox 22 Bonuses: Waterson, Craig, Smith, Aldana Pocket $50K". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  34. 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.
  35. Haynes, Stephie (2019-03-30). "UFC Philadelphia post-fight bonuses: Gaethje's massive KO nets FOTN honors". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  36. "MMA Junkie's 'Submission of the Month' for March: Another last-minute choke". mmajunkie.com. April 3, 2019.
  37. "Paul Craig". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  38. Sherdog.com. "Paul Craig". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.