Sport
Craig ready to rumble in Vegas
Paul Craig aims to hit the jackpot at UFC 209 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
March 1, 2017 10:38
Paul Craig aims to hit the jackpot at UFC 209 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
March 1, 2017 10:38The Scottish light-heavyweight made his debut in December when he submitted Henrique da Silva in the second round at UFC Fight Night.
That win earned him the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus and extended his professional MMA record to nine successive win.
Now Craig - who calls himself Bear Jew, a reference from the film Inglorious Basterds, but he is not actually Jewish - is ready for his pay-per-view debut against undefeated Australian Tyson Pedro in Nevada this weekend.
He said: “I said after my last fight I wanted to get matched again as soon as possible and UFC209 is a card we really wanted on.
"Every fighter wants to fight in Las Vegas, it’s the fight capital of the world and to be on a pay-per-view card gives me another great opportunity to make a name for myself in the UFC.
"I know Tyson is big, strong, undefeated and is predominantly a grappler.
"He is dangerous but this is a good fight for me because everyone knows what happens when a fight goes to the ground with me - it’s over pretty quickly."
Airdrie-born Craig, 29, only stepped foot inside an MMA gym five years ago.
The father of two had worked as a football coach in his local community in Coatbridge, Scotland before teaching with an educational charity in schools.
He added: "Once I started learning, it just took over.
"I could have been training for the last 10 years, but it comes down to how many hours you put in. I concentrate on all disciplines of MMA individually.
"Once you know your face isn't going to break up when you suffer a broken nose and get beat up then you move on."