Paul Craig

Paul Craig (born 27 November 1987)[3] is a Scottish mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2013, Craig formerly competed for BAMMA, where he was the BAMMA World Light Heavyweight Champion. As of 24 October 2023, he is #13 in the UFC middleweight rankings.[4]

For other uses, see Paul Craig (disambiguation).

Paul Craig
Born (1987-11-27) 27 November 1987
Airdrie, Scotland
Other namesBearjew
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionLight heavyweight Middleweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofBathgate, Scotland
TeamHigher Level Martial Arts
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Brian Gallacher [2]
Years active2013–present
Kickboxing record
Total1
Wins1
Losses0
Draws0
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins17
By knockout4
By submission13
Losses6
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision1
Draws1
Amateur record
Total3
Wins3
By submission3
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Scotland
Men's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
British Pro Championship
Gold medal – first place2015 Birmingham95+ kg (Purple)
Abu Dhabi World Pro
Bronze medal – third place2015 Abu DhabiABSOLUTE 75+ kg (Purple)

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Craig's head coach took him from no martial arts experience to 8–0 as an amateur, with each of his wins coming via first-round stoppage. As a professional, Craig went 8–0 over four years before being signed by the UFC.

In November 2014, Craig won a K1-rules fight in Germany.[5]

Craig won the BAMMA World Light heavyweight Championship at BAMMA 23 when he defeated Marcin Lazarz by submission.[6] He was set to defend his title against Chris Fields in Dublin, although the fight was postponed following the death of Portuguese fighter João Carvalho. The match up was rescheduled, but failed to take place due to Craig's damaging his ankle ligaments.[7] Craig did not end up defending the title, as he signed a 4-fight deal with the UFC.[8]

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[9] and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.[10]

Craig faced Tyson Pedro on 4 March 2017 at UFC 209.[11] He lost the bout via first-round TKO.[12]

Craig faced Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio on 16 July 2017.[13] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[14]

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

Following the win against Ankalaev, Craig signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC.[18]

Craig faced promotional newcomer Jimmy Crute on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[19] He lost the fight via kimura in the third round.[20]

Craig faced promotional newcomer Kennedy Nzechukwu on 30 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2.[21] He won the fight via submission due to a triangle choke in the third round.[22] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[23]

Craig faced Alonzo Menifield on 29 June 2019 at UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. dos Santos.[24] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[25]

Craig faced Vinicius Moreira on 21 September 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 17.[26] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.[27] This win earn Craig his fourth Performance of the Night award.[28]

Craig stepped in on short notice to face Maurício Rua on 16 November 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22, replacing Sam Alvey, who had withdrawn from the bout due to a broken hand.[29][30] After three rounds, the back-and-forth fight was declared a split draw.[31]

Craig was expected to face Ryan Spann on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards.[32] However, the event was cancelled.[33]

Craig faced Gadzhimurad Antigulov on 26 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14.[34] He won the fight via submission in round one.[35] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[36]

Craig faced Maurício Rua in a rematch on 21 November 2020 at UFC 255.[37] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[38]

Craig was scheduled to face Jamahal Hill on 20 March 2021 UFC on ESPN 21.[39] However, on 10 March, Hill withdrew from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19.[40] The match was rescheduled for 12 June 2021 at UFC 263.[41] Craig won the bout via TKO in round one after snapping Hill's elbow with an armbar.[42] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[43]

Craig was scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson on 4 September 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191.[44] However, a week before the event, Gustafsson withdrew due to injury.[45]

Craig faced Nikita Krylov on 19 March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204.[46] He won the fight via a triangle choke in round one.[47] With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.[48]

Craig faced Volkan Oezdemir on 23 July 2022 at UFC Fight Night 208.[49] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[50]

Craig faced Johnny Walker on 21 January 2023 at UFC 283.[51] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[52]

Move to Middleweight

Moving down to the middleweight division, Craig faced André Muniz on July 22, 2023, at UFC on ESPN+ 82.[53] He won the fight via ground and pound TKO in the second round.[54] With this win, he received his eighth Performance of the Night bonus award.[55]

Craig is scheduled to face Brendan Allen on November 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 232.[56]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Paul Craig is also a brazilian jiu-jitsu practicioner that competes in the Absolute, Middleweight, Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight divisions.

Craig won the gold medal on the Absolute division at the Scottish Grappling Challenge 4 in No Gi in 2012.

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.

Craig competed in the 2015 British Pro Jiu Jitsu Championship, taking 1st place in the Purple Belt 95+ kg Division and qualifying for the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He also took 3rd place in the Absolute Purple 75+ kg Division.[57]

In June 2016, he won his classe in Gi and No Gi at Empire Grappling.

After defeating Jamahal Hill in 2021, Craig was promoted to black belt.[2]

On 27 August 2022 Craig defeated Sam Sweeney in a tough, back and forth sub only grappling match at Holytown Havoc 2.

On 24 September 2022 Craig faced Jed Hue in the main event of Polaris 21. Craig was submitted with an ankle-lock in 21 seconds.[58]

Professional Wrestling

Craig performs as a professional wrestler. During his career, he has worked for Insane Championship Wrestling where he is a one-time ICW Tag Team Champion with Chris Bungard.[59]

Personal life

Paul played football before becoming an MMA fighter. He also worked as a football coach before becoming a teacher for an educational charity.[60] Paul hosts a podcast called Leather'd, with fellow Scottish MMA fighters Chris Bungard and Ross Cooper.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Professional wrestling

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
24 matches 17 wins 6 losses
By knockout 4 4
By submission 13 1
By decision 0 1
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–6–1 André Muniz TKO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura July 22, 2023 2 4:40 London, England Middleweight debut. Performance of the Night.
Loss 16–6–1 Johnny Walker TKO (punches) UFC 283 January 21, 2023 1 2:16 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss 16–5–1 Volkan Oezdemir Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall July 23, 2022 3 5:00 London, England
Win 16–4–1 Nikita Krylov Submission (triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall March 19, 2022 1 3:57 London, England Performance of the Night.
Win 15–4–1 Jamahal Hill TKO (elbows and punches) UFC 263 June 12, 2021 1 1:59 Glendale, Arizona, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 14–4–1 Maurício Rua TKO (submission to punches) UFC 255 November 21, 2020 2 3:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–4–1 Gadzhimurad Antigulov Submission (triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till July 26, 2020 1 2:06 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Performance of the Night.
Draw 12–4–1 Maurício Rua Draw (split) UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré November 16, 2019 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 12–4 Vinicius Moreira Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens September 21, 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 June 29, 2019 1 3:19 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 11–3 Kennedy Nzechukwu Submission (triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje March 30, 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 December 2, 2018 3 4:51 Adelaide, Australia
Win 10–2 Magomed Ankalaev Submission (triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov March 17, 2018 3 4:59 London, England Performance of the Night.
Loss 9–2 Khalil Rountree Jr. KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio July 16, 2017 1 4:56 Glasgow, Scotland
Loss 9–1 Tyson Pedro TKO (elbows) UFC 209 March 4, 2017 1 4:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Henrique da Silva Submission (armbar) UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson December 17, 2016 2 1:59 Sacramento, California, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 8–0 Marcin Łazarz Submission (triangle choke) BAMMA 23 November 14, 2015 1 3:51 London, England Won the BAMMA World Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Karl Moore Submission (guillotine choke) BAMMA 22 September 19, 2015 2 0:48 Dublin, Ireland
Win 6–0 Adam Wright Submission (armbar) Animalistic MMA: Rise of the Alpha June 20, 2015 1 0:47 Preston, England
Win 5–0 Andrzej Bachorz Submission (brabo choke) FightStar Championship 5 April 11, 2015 1 2:37 Coventry, England Won the vacant FightStar Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Dan Konecke TKO (punches) First Fighting Championship: Resurgence September 13, 2014 1 4:18 Hamilton, Scotland
Win 3–0 Jon Ferguson Submission (triangle choke) Full Contact Contender 10 June 21, 2014 1 1:50 Bolton, England
Win 2–0 Antonio Braga Submission (triangle choke) Underdog Xtreme Championships 2 March 1, 2014 1 2:41 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 1–0 Brad Conway Submission (triangle choke) First Fighting Championship: Prepare for Glory 3 August 24, 2013 1 2:00 Hamilton, Scotland Light Heavyweight debut.

[66]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3–0 Jeff Metcalfe Submission (guillotine choke) Supremacy Fight Challenge 8 11 Nov 2012 1 0:46 Gateshead, England
Win 2–0 Paul Bradshaw Submission (triangle choke) Total Combat 50 6 Oct 2012 1 2:41 Sunderland, England
Win 1–0 Gary Sivills Submission (armbar) Total Combat 48 21 Jul 2012 1 1:26 Sunderland, England

See also

References
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  2. BjjTribes (14 June 2021). "UFC Fighter Paul Craig promoted to BJJ black belt by coach Brian Gallacher". BjjTribes. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. "Paul Craig Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  4. "UFC Rankings | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. "Paul Craig aiming for his first pro title in Coventry". 7 April 2015.
  6. "Paul Craig: I knew I would win title when opponent smiled at me at weigh-in". Daily Record. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  7. "Why UFC 209's Paul Craig, who doesn't even really like MMA, fights for a living". mmajunkie. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  8. "Paul Craig signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". Fights Day. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  9. Doyle, Dave (17 December 2016). "UFC on FOX 22 results: Paul Craig submits Luis Henrique da Silva". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  10. "UFC on Fox 22 Bonuses: Waterson, Craig, Smith, Aldana Pocket $50K". Sherdog. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  11. "Australian light-heavyweight Tyson Pedro to take on Paul Craig at UFC 209". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  12. Ben Fowlkes (4 March 2017). "UFC 209 results: Tyson Pedro puts Paul Craig away in first with vicious elbows". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  13. Tom Heffernan (21 April 2017). "UFC announce first three fights for Glasgow show as Paul Craig returns". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  14. "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Khalil Rountree thrashes Paul Craig for first-round KO". MMAjunkie. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  15. DNA, MMA (7 November 2017). "Ongeslagen Magomed Ankalaev maakt UFC debuut tijdens UFC Londen tegen Paul Craig". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  16. Alexander K. Lee (17 March 2018). "UVideo: Paul Craig pulls off unbelievable last-second submission at UFC London". mmajunkie. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  17. Dan Hiergesell (17 March 2018). "UFC Fight Night 127 bonuses: Alexander Volkov's main event knockout leads $50K winners". mmamania.com. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  18. Shaun Al-Shatti (21 March 2018). "From retirement to re-upping: Paul Craig signs new four-fight deal after stunning UFC London comeback". mmafighting.com.
  19. "Paul Craig vs Jim Crute Set For UFC Fight Night 142 In Australia". MMAnytt.com. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  20. Dave Doyle (December 2018). "UFC Adelaide results: Jim Crute submits Paul Craig in fight's closing seconds". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
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  30. Guilherme Cruz (29 October 2019). "'Shogun' Rua vs. Paul Craig announced for UFC Sao Paulo". mmafighting.com.
  31. Doherty, Dan (16 November 2019). "UFC Sao Paulo Results: Shogun Rua and Paul Craig Fight to a Draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  32. Jay Anderson (19 December 2019). "UFC London Adds Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann". cagesidepress.com.
  33. O2, The. "Cancelled | UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Woodley vs. Edwards | The O2". www.theo2.co.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
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  40. Farrah Hannoun (10 March 2021). "UFC on ESPN 21 co-main event scrapped after Jamahal Hill forced to withdraw from Paul Craig bout". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  41. Redactie (24 March 2021). "Multiple UFC fights announced, including Craig vs. Hill". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  42. Vreeland, Daniel (12 June 2021). "UFC 263 Results: Paul Craig Destroys Jamahal Hill's Arm En Route to Victory". Cageside Press. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  43. "UFC 263 bonuses: That wicked arm injury Paul Craig delivered was worth an extra $50,000". MMA Junkie. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  44. Ashah Tafari (1 July 2021). "Alexander Gustafsson to face "Bearjew" in octagon return". Frontkick.online (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  45. Mike Bohn and Nolan King (21 August 2021). "Alexander Gustafsson out of UFC Fight Night 191 bout with Paul Craig due to injury". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  46. Staff (28 January 2022). "Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov set for UFC London card in March". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
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  53. Calhoun, Curtis (15 May 2023). "Paul Craig set for UFC Middleweight debut against ranked contender". MMA News. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  54. Morehouse, Cade (22 July 2023). "UFC London: Paul Craig Finds Smashing Success in Middleweight Debut Against Andre Muniz". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  55. Matthew Wells (22 July 2023). "UFC Fight Night 224 bonuses: Tom Aspinall earns $50,000 in triumphant return from injury". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  56. Staff (29 August 2023). "Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig headlines UFC's Nov. 18 show in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
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  58. "Polaris 21 Full Results and Review". 25 September 2022.
  59. https://www.wrestling-news.net/icw-get-the-f-out-results/205168/
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  64. "The Jitsmagazine 2022 BJJ Awards". January 2023.
  65. https://www.wrestling-news.net/icw-get-the-f-out-results/205168/
  66. Sherdog.com. "Paul Craig". Sherdog. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
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