Latest news with #PaulCraig
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Craig admits to 'illegal move' in controversial 'no contest'
Scotland's Paul Craig has urged UFC fans not "to persecute" Rodolfo Bellato after he was accused of "hamming it up" by "flopping" to the canvas following a kick to the face during their light-heavyweight contest in Atlanta. Craig admits it was "an illegal move" that resulted in the fight being ruled a no contest. Advertisement The fight had been postponed from 14 weeks ago when the 29-year-old Brazilian pulled out with a cold sore - and this time it was cut short seconds before the end of round one. "A few people have messaged me regarding this and are saying that it looked a bit floppish - like he was maybe hamming it up," said the 37-year-old Craig. "I don't want to think any fighter is looking for an easy way out in this sport. We're all fighters, we're all in the UFC - the pinnacle of of our careers - and we're looking to put on performances. But I can see where people are looking at it and think it looks a bit floppish, like he's maybe taking a dive." Craig admitted it was "raw at the moment" but did not want to think that might be the case. Advertisement "I was in the neutral corner, I was looking over and I was seeing him kind of flop like he was trying to wrestle the referee and he was in a daze, but when I spoke to him, he seemed pretty compos mentis and he was like, 'I don't know what happened'," he added. "You know what, it's my fault as much as it is his fault. We shouldn't be looking to persecute him if he's taking taken the knee - it was an illegal move." To make matters worse for Craig, he had moved back up a weight hoping to put a three-loss streak behind him in what was the final fight of his current UFC contract. "I'm now in the best shape I've ever been in," he said. "I was wanting to make a stamp in that division and say, hey, I am back. Advertisement "I've got to take positives from it. I felt good in there and I was moving well. I was landing my shots and my shot selection was perfect. "But, in the heat of the moment, I thought he was standing up, so I throw my axe kick, looking to land a heavy upkick to his face." Craig pointed out that a no-contest was at least not as bad as another defeat and is hopeful of a rematch with Bellato. If not, he is willing to go up against "any light-heavyweight the UFC offers" and believes he could even repeat his 2018 win over current champion Magomed Ankalaev if given the chance. More MMA from the BBC
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
UFC fighter breaks his silence on bizarre moment he 'QUIT' during fight against Paul Craig as he hits back at fans after a torrent of abuse on social media
Rodolfo Bellato has spoken out after accusations from fans that he allegedly pretended to be knocked out at UFC Atlanta on Saturday. Bellato was fighting Scotland's Paul Craig only for the bout to be labelled a no-contest following an illegal kick by the Scot. Once the kick landed, Bellato's strange behaviour prompted criticism. As he fell to the canvass, he was complaining to the referee. Once on the floor, he appeared knocked out only to quickly regain consciousness. As the referee attempted to explain to him that the fight was over due to the illegal kick, Bellato bizarrely tried to wrestle the official. Plenty of fans took to social media to accuse Bellato of dramatising the extent of the damage in a bid to get Craig disqualified. Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato has been ruled a no contest. #UFCAtlanta | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ — UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 15, 2025 'Anyone who knows me the longest knows I would NEVER do this' said Bellato on Instagram 'Anyone who's known me the longest knows I would NEVER do this, I've never run from war,' said Bellato on Instagram. 'I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff... 'The moment I was on the ground, I didn't expect to get kicked in the face (illegally)..'I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff...'I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff... 'It was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body began to tingle and my vision disappeared.. 'After that I don't remember anything. 'Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round? 'I thank all the real ones for the positive messages. God is in charge.' Speaking after the fight, Craig acknowledged that his upkick was illegal and refused to humour the allegations against Bellato.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC's Rodolfo Bellato issues statement on 'actor' accusations after appearing to flop
Rodolfo Bellato takes umbrage with the notion that he wanted out of his fight with Paul Craig at UFC on ESPN 69. This past Saturday's light heavyweight bout between Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) and Paul Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) was ruled a no contest after Bellato was illegally upkicked with just one second remaining in Round 1. As soon as he was struck, Bellato complained to referee Kevin MacDonald, then fell back to the canvas as he appeared knocked out. He immediately regained consciousness and tried to wrestle MacDonald, which had many people – including the ESPN broadcast team – accusing him of milking the extent of the damage. Advertisement Well aware of the criticism, Bellato released a statement on Instagram. "I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff," Bellato wrote. ".. the moment i was on the ground, i didn't expect to get kicked in the face (illegally).. it was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body began to tingle and my vision disappeared.. after that i dont remember anything "Anyone who's known me the longest knows I would NEVER do this, I've never run from war. I hit 2x in less than 30 days, 2 trips in a row. Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round?" Craig refused to accuse Bellato of quitting and took full responsibility for throwing the illegal upkick that caused the fight-ending sequence. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC fighter who appeared to flop addresses 'actor' accusations
CNN
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
UFC fighter says don't ‘persecute' opponent after ‘illegal move' led to controversial no contest ending
Paul Craig has told fans not to 'persecute' Rodolfo Bellato after the pair's UFC fight on Saturday ended in a controversial no contest due to an illegal upkick from Craig. As the end of the first round of their light-heavyweight fight in Atlanta's State Farm Arena approached, Craig – while on his back – threw a kick up at Bellato, connecting with the Brazilian's head and neck area. Bellato fell to the floor with his arms above his head before the referee stepped in and deemed it an accidental foul from Craig, resulting in a no contest. Bellato was criticized after the fight for perhaps exaggerating the extent of his injury; former MMA fighter Justin Lesko called it 'embarrassing' and questioned whether it was the 'worst flop in UFC history or was Rodolfo Bellato really hurt against Paul Craig?' In response to the criticism he received after the fight, Bellato defended his actions, writing on Instagram: 'I saw some things on the internet, saying that I was an actor and so and so forth. When I was on the ground, I didn't expect to get kicked in the face (illegally). 'It was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body started to tingle and my vision disappeared … after that I don't remember anything. 'Those who have known me a long time know that I would NEVER do that, I have never run away from a fight. I made the weight twice in less than 30 days, two trips in a row. Why would I fake something, after everything I've been through and on top of that winning the first round? 'I thank all the real ones for the positive messages.' Speaking to the media after the fight, Craig admitted that he had used an 'illegal move' and defended his 29-year-old opponent's actions. 'A few people have messaged me regarding (Bellato's conduct) and are saying that it looked a bit 'floppish,' like he was maybe hamming it up,' the 37-year-old said. 'I don't want to think any fighter is looking for an easy way out in this sport. We're all fighters, we're all in the UFC – the pinnacle of our careers – and we're looking to put on performances. But I can see where people are looking at it and think it looks a bit 'floppish,' like he's maybe taking a dive. I don't want to think that.' Craig and Bellato's fight had been postponed from 14 weeks ago after the Brazilian fell ill on the day of the bout. Craig was entering Saturday's event with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, coming in off a three-fight loss streak. And the controversial ending left the Scot feeling 'raw,' especially as he made a step up in weight to face Bellato – the final fight on his UFC contract. 'I was in the neutral corner, I was looking over and I was seeing him kind of flop like he was trying to wrestle the referee and he was dazed,' Craig said. 'But when I spoke to him, he seemed pretty compos mentis. He was like: 'I don't know what happened.' 'You know what, it's my fault as much as it is his fault. We shouldn't be looking to persecute him if he's taking the knee. It was an illegal move.' Craig did see the positives in the fight ending in a no contest rather than another loss, but was frustrated about not winning once more. 'I'm now in the best shape I've ever been in,' he said. 'I was wanting to make a stamp in that division and say: 'Hey, I'm back.' 'I've got to take positives from it. I felt good in there and I was moving well. I was landing my shots and my shot selection was perfect. 'But, in the heat of the moment, I thought he was standing up, so I've thrown my axe kick, looking to land a heavy upkick to his face. That was my intention and that's why it's gone down as a no contest.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
UFC fighter says don't ‘persecute' opponent after ‘illegal move' led to controversial no contest ending
Paul Craig has told fans not to 'persecute' Rodolfo Bellato after the pair's UFC fight on Saturday ended in a controversial no contest due to an illegal upkick from Craig. As the end of the first round of their light-heavyweight fight in Atlanta's State Farm Arena approached, Craig – while on his back – threw a kick up at Bellato, connecting with the Brazilian's head and neck area. Bellato fell to the floor with his arms above his head before the referee stepped in and deemed it an accidental foul from Craig, resulting in a no contest. Bellato was criticized after the fight for perhaps exaggerating the extent of his injury; former MMA fighter Justin Lesko called it 'embarrassing' and questioned whether it was the 'worst flop in UFC history or was Rodolfo Bellato really hurt against Paul Craig?' In response to the criticism he received after the fight, Bellato defended his actions, writing on Instagram: 'I saw some things on the internet, saying that I was an actor and so and so forth. When I was on the ground, I didn't expect to get kicked in the face (illegally). 'It was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body started to tingle and my vision disappeared … after that I don't remember anything. 'Those who have known me a long time know that I would NEVER do that, I have never run away from a fight. I made the weight twice in less than 30 days, two trips in a row. Why would I fake something, after everything I've been through and on top of that winning the first round? 'I thank all the real ones for the positive messages.' Speaking to the media after the fight, Craig admitted that he had used an 'illegal move' and defended his 29-year-old opponent's actions. 'A few people have messaged me regarding (Bellato's conduct) and are saying that it looked a bit 'floppish,' like he was maybe hamming it up,' the 37-year-old said. 'I don't want to think any fighter is looking for an easy way out in this sport. We're all fighters, we're all in the UFC – the pinnacle of our careers – and we're looking to put on performances. But I can see where people are looking at it and think it looks a bit 'floppish,' like he's maybe taking a dive. I don't want to think that.' Craig and Bellato's fight had been postponed from 14 weeks ago after the Brazilian fell ill on the day of the bout. Craig was entering Saturday's event with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, coming in off a three-fight loss streak. And the controversial ending left the Scot feeling 'raw,' especially as he made a step up in weight to face Bellato – the final fight on his UFC contract. 'I was in the neutral corner, I was looking over and I was seeing him kind of flop like he was trying to wrestle the referee and he was dazed,' Craig said. 'But when I spoke to him, he seemed pretty compos mentis. He was like: 'I don't know what happened.' 'You know what, it's my fault as much as it is his fault. We shouldn't be looking to persecute him if he's taking the knee. It was an illegal move.' Craig did see the positives in the fight ending in a no contest rather than another loss, but was frustrated about not winning once more. 'I'm now in the best shape I've ever been in,' he said. 'I was wanting to make a stamp in that division and say: 'Hey, I'm back.' 'I've got to take positives from it. I felt good in there and I was moving well. I was landing my shots and my shot selection was perfect. 'But, in the heat of the moment, I thought he was standing up, so I've thrown my axe kick, looking to land a heavy upkick to his face. That was my intention and that's why it's gone down as a no contest.'
