‘This game's over' – Paul Craig admits Dana White and Co. may wield UFC axe if he loses crunch Rodolfo Bellato clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
PAUL CRAIG will enter the cage this weekend with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The Scottish submission artist will make his 20th venture to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
7
Paul Craig returns to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106
Credit: GETTY
7
Craig enters his 20th octagon outing with the weight of the world on his shoulders
Credit: GETTY
7
The Scot is on the worst run of his career having lost his last three in a row
Credit: GETTY
7
'The Bearjew' admits it could be curtains for his UFC career if he tastes a fourth-straight loss
Credit: GETTY
And he'll do so in uncharted territory having lost his last three in a row, the worst skid of his near nine-year run in mixed martial arts' top promotion.
Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato stands between the Airdrie assassin and a much-needed return to the win column in the final fight of his current contract.
And he admits it could be curtains for his time as a fighter in MMA's top promotion if he doesn't have his hand raised in the Sin City showdown.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: "The way the UFC works is you need to be winning. That's what this sport is about, and what you do in that octagon.
READ MORE UFC NEWS
'MY ABSOLUTE' Jon Jones issues Tom Aspinall UFC fight message after confirming career move
"It's not about all the extra media you do or your ability to chat. That's a very small part of this job.
"It's about what happens in that octagon. And I do believe that coming off the three losses, with three of those losses being against three good opponents.
"It wasn't like I had been beaten off no-names. I got beat off, Brendan Allen, who's in that top 15 and he's in that mix.
"And I got beat off Caio Borralho who's the same. And some people say he's probably the next champion in that division.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
7
Paul Crig faces Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato in his 20th UFC bout
Credit: GETTY
"And then when you look at Bo Nickal, I wasn't beaten. I beat myself in the Bo Nickal fight. You're always worried about your next contract.
"And this is kind of one of these moments where if you don't perform on Saturday night against Rodolfo Bellato, there's a good chance that the UFC won't pick you back up.
Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery
"So that fear is what kind of motivates me as well.
"We've seen that when I fought Magomed Ankaleav and I got that victory in the last fight of my contract for that period.
"And I'm coming to the same sort of moment in my life where this is all or nothing.
"'Do you want to be a UFC fighter? Or do you want to go back to Monday [to Friday] nine-to-five and be a teacher or be working in a gym? Is that what you want to do as your job?'
"And I'm like, 'You know what, I do believe there's a little bit left in me to be a UFC fighter and be a light heavyweight champion.'
"So it's all or nothing come Saturday.
"I would love to say you're going to see a different version of Paul Craig, but you never know what happens on that night. But I'm definitely going there out on my shield. And it's a victory I'm looking for."
Paul's back may be up against the wall, but he has a habit of rising to the occasion when the going gets tough.
Two of his best wins have come when he's suffered consecutive losses, the first being his Hail Mary stoppage of 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev and his beatdown of middleweight contender Andre Muniz.
"When there is pressure, I do believe that's when you see the best Paul Craig," he said. "Somebody made a meme online and it's like, 'Paul Craig can beat anyone on any given night.' And it's true, I can beat anyone.
7
Paul Craig recorded a sensational last-gasp win over 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev while on a two-fight skid
Credit: GETTY
7
The Airdrie assassin stopped middleweight bruiser Andre Muniz while on a separate two-fight losing streak
Credit: GETTY
"If you put somebody in front of me and as long as I'm switched on and there's enough added external pressure, then I will rise to the occasion.
"And I do believe this is going to be one of these moments."
Paul will have to be the most "switched on" he's been in recent years to get the better of Dana White's Contenders Series graduate Bellato, a hard-hitting former LFA light-heavyweight champion.
Bellato's early handiwork in the UFC has impressed Paul, although he believes the Brazilian bruiser has shortcomings when it comes to fortitude.
"He's an amazing MMA practitioner," Paul said of the 29-year-old. "He's coming off a draw.
"He's working with guys like Alex Pereira. He's got a very good jiu-jitsu ground game and he's got a very good stand-up striking game.
"But what he's not got is he's not got that heart of a warrior. He's not got that Celtic blood in him that runs deep.
"And I do believe that's what we're going to show on Saturday night.
I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC."
Paul Craig on his showdown with Rodolfo Bellato
"That ability to pick ourselves back up and keep driving forward and looking for our victories."
Victory over Bellato with his proverbial back up against the wall will not only save Paul's UFC bacon, it'll stop him from walking away from the sport entirely.
And the magnitude of the do-or-die desert dust-up will continue to weigh heavily on his mind until the dust has settled on the Apex clash.
He said: "It needs to be a victory for the UFC career-saving moment. This is the last fight on my contract. I do want to keep being a fighter.
"I do believe, as I get a little bit older, that I'm getting better, skill-wise, with regards to jiu-jitsu. I'm always learning.
"I do believe that I'm a much better version of a mixed martial artist than I was back when I first started. And that's the thing that keeps me in this sport.
"As long as I can keep getting better, then I'll keep staying in this sport.
"And as we said, there's a lot of pressure coming off of three losses. I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
33 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Ian McLauchlan: The Mighty Mouse of Scottish rugby with a 'heart bigger than his body'
Former Scotland and Lions great dies aged 83 Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ian McLauchlan, who has died aged 83, was one of the hardest men and most inspiring leaders ever to play rugby for Scotland. He captained his country 19 times in his 43 appearances, but whether officially skipper or not, he was always in the front line – literally, as a loosehead prop, but also metaphorically, as a competitor who never took a backward step. At around 5ft 8in, he was on the small side even then for a front-row forward, and gave away a lot in weight to some opponents. But he never gave an inch in the scrum or in the loose, and, as a result, he earned the nickname Mighty Mouse after a popular cartoon character of the time. In other words, his standing in the game was in inverse proportion to his stature. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Born in 1942, he knew nothing of rugby during his early childhood in the Ayrshire village of Tarbolton, where, as he wrote much later in Mighty Mouse, his autobiography, 'sport meant football, racing pigeons, whippets, pitch-and-toss and more football'. But once he took up the sport, at Ayr Academy aged 11, that was it. Scottish prop forward Ian McLauchlan of the British Lions peparing for their summer tour of Australia in May, 1971, at the revolutionary pre-tour training camp at Eastbourne. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/) | Getty Images 'I was hooked straight away,' he continued. 'I loved the physicality, the brutality and the camaraderie of it. Before long the game had become the be-all and end-all of my life.' Although to the naked eye McLauchlan might not have cut a particularly imposing figure as he ambled across the pitch, in his lack of height and sheer indomitability he was the perfect choice to captain a small nation such as Scotland which often had to battle against apparently overwhelming odds. With the benefit of hindsight, then, it is odd that it took the national selectors so long to give him his debut. He was almost 27 and playing for Jordanhill when the invitation came to join the Scotland squad. 'The fact that I had to wait so long before winning my first cap against England in 1969 made the achievement all the more satisfying,' he wrote. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Much of that day is a haze, but I remember sitting in the changing room at 2.50pm. 'Open the doors', I thought. 'Let me get out there and at them'. I had waited all my life for that moment.' Ian McLauchlan pictured at Murrayfield Stadium in 2017. | SNS Group / SRU If that phrase 'let me at them' hints at an almost sadistic eagerness to dominate his opponents, at times he could also display a kind of masochistic glee as he played through the pain barrier. That attitude was most evident during the 1973 Five Nations Championship, when, playing just his second match as captain, McLauchlan had to leave the field early against Ireland with a suspected broken leg. He seemed certain to miss the Triple Crown decider against England just three weeks later, but some semantic quibbling saw him retain his place. 'It turned out my leg wasn't broken,' he said. 'Although the bone was cracked.' At the time Scotland's players and supporters alike may have been glad to see McLauchlan take to the field at Twickenham, and he showed extraordinary courage to do so. But in retrospect, his decision to soldier on was perhaps too risky. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As Andy Irvine, a Scotland and British & Irish Lions team-mate and also a former SRU president, wrote later: 'They said that it was a cracked fibula – but no matter how you dress it up it was a broken leg, and who can play rugby with a broken leg? 'I suppose it's a testament to the kind of guy he was – how hard he was – that he was able to make it through the match at all, and I can't even begin to imagine the pain he was in when he was scrummaging.' Ian McLauchlan in action for Scotland against New Zealand at Murrayfield in 1978. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Speaking on the SRU website yesterday after the news broke of his former team-mate's death on Friday, Irvine said: 'He was some character and some player. He was smaller than most props he came up against, but I never saw anyone get the better of him. 'He was so tough, almost indestructible. What a fantastic career he had for Scotland, and the Lions. It's very, very sad.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Off the field, McLauchlan was blessed with a wry sense of humour, but there was no doubt that his on-field ferocity could strike fear into the opposition - and maybe into some spectators too. As his late team-mate Gordon Brown once quipped: 'I always had a picture of McLauchlan on my mantelpiece to keep my kids back from the fire.'
North Wales Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Moreira narrowly fails to weave Ascot magic for Japan
The Brazilian pilot, known as the 'Magic Man', has ridden big winners around the globe and was entrusted with providing Japan with a first victory at the Royal meeting when receiving the leg-up aboard Noriyuki Hori's ace sprinter – who was sent off the 2-1 favourite for the final Group One of the week. Having been subject to persistent money since advertising his wellbeing in a recent Newmarket gallop, the six-year-old travelled through the contest in sublime style for Moreira. However, he met a determined rival in Lazzat in the closing stages and when the duo began to duel late into the piece, it was Jerome Reynier's French raider who came out on top in the international showdown for sprinting supremacy. 'We went into the race with a lot of confidence, the horse was so well in himself but unfortunately we bumped into a very good horse today,' said Moreira. 'Lazzat's form indicated he would be a danger and he had been winning impressively on his home ground. 'Halfway through I thought I had him done, but he just had another kick and kept attacking the line. I was closing up the gap but we just bumped into a good horse today and my horse ran really well. 'We thought we had a really good crack and unfortunately we just bumped into a really good horse. I can't complain, he tried his very best. 'It's a pleasure to be at a festival like this – of course finishing second is not the best result, but I still have to be happy with that.' While the Wathnan Racing team were able to celebrate feature race success for the headline signing from their pre-Ascot delve into the transfer market, they were also delighted with the performance of fellow new signing Flora Of Bermuda. Andrew Balding's admirable filly was narrowly denied by Inisherin at York on her return to action and in her first outing in the peacock blue and old gold silks, she again hit the frame with a brave third in the hands of PJ McDonald. 'She's run an absolute blinder and she was just a little bit free early,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'She's run another very solid race, she's so consistent. I'd be hopeful that one of these might drop her way and she had some very good horses behind her. 'These two (Lazzat and Satono Reve) have obviously gone a long way clear, but she's finished best of the rest.'
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Iconic 94-year-old football stadium looks unrecognisable as building site after work begins on £86million renovation
Some big-name artists have performed at magnificent arena FIOR BLIMEY Iconic 94-year-old football stadium looks unrecognisable as building site after work begins on £86million renovation Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FIORENTINA'S iconic stadium looks unrecognisable after building work began on a stunning £86million renovation. The Stadio Artemio Franchi is one of the most famous arenas in Italy after being constructed in 1931 — making it 94 years old. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi looks unrecognisable amid building work Credit: X 4 A stunning £86million renovation project is underway at the iconic arena Credit: X Located in Florence, it holds 47,282 fans and once saw a record 58,271 pack in for Fiorentina's 3-0 win over Inter Milan in November 1985. But after going several previous renovations in 1990 and 2013, the Artemio Franchi is once again under the knife for a brand new reconstruction. Work started last year on an £86m plan to rebuild several stands while modernising existing infrastructure. It's expected to be completed in the summer of 2026. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD CUP First look at all 15 futuristic World Cup 2034 stadiums And with the Serie A season at an end, contractors have been able to finally raise scaffolding all over the stadium, just weeks after a raging fire blazed through Fiorentina's training ground. The lengthy work means any future home matches will be played with a reduced capacity, with Fiorentina chiefs having already secured a reduction in rent. Club president Rocco Commisso is hopeful that all work will be completed by the deadline, saying: 'For the good of Fiorentina, we must work together and do everything possibly to complete the renovation quickly. 'A partially functioning stadium makes no sense.' BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Fiorentina finished sixth in Serie A this season, securing another year in the Conference League. The Italians have already lost two finals of the relatively-new competition to West Ham and Olympiacos. Cesc Fabregas' Como told to make new stadium smaller amid fears stunning lakeside views could disappear 4 The Artemio Franchi is 94 years old and has held games for two World Cups in Italy Credit: Getty 4 Several massive musicians have held concerts there too Credit: Getty While this term they were KO'd in the semis by Real Betis, who went on to lose the final 4-1 to Chelsea. Their Artemio Franchi arena has played host to some memorable events, including the 1934 and 1990 World Cups. It's also hosted Italy's national football and rugby teams while also playing host to a number of non-sporting events. David Bowie, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen are among the superstars to have played there. While in 1954, local legend claims that UFOs travelling at high speed stopped directly over the stadium during a reserve game before coating the Artemio Franchi in a 'silvery glitter.'
