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Paul Craig believes he has extra to point out to the world.
This previous weekend, Craig pulled off yet one more unimaginable efficiency, submitting Nikita Krylov within the first spherical at UFC London. The win was Craig’s fourth end in a row, and with the 34-year outdated now having a lot success within the octagon, he’s placing his retirement plans on maintain.
Beforehand, Craig had made it clear that he supposed to stroll away from MMA as soon as he hit age 35. Nonetheless, along with his thirty fifth birthday developing in November, “Bearjew” says these plans at the moment are out the window.
“After I first began the game on the age of 24, I seemed on the ages of the fighters in my division, and 35 appeared like a very good quantity,” Craig stated Monday on The MMA Hour. “I felt like 35 was a quantity the place you may go away the game, nonetheless have your psychological readability, and nonetheless be ok with your self. The game’s developed a lot since I first began watching the game to now, I imagine that I’ve bought a bit of bit extra mustard within the tub. that wee bit within the nook the place you actually can’t actually get with the knife. I’ve bought that wee little bit of mustard nonetheless left in me.
“I’ve nonetheless bought numerous psychological readability. My fights don’t go that lengthy, and those that do go lengthy, I sometimes don’t get numerous head pictures. It’s largely physique pictures, numerous grappling. So I imagine I’ve nonetheless bought one thing left in me, and after that victory this weekend, I imagine that I’ve bought extra to do on this sport and I’m so near being a reputation on this sport.”
Craig does seem like on the verge of breaking out among the many broader MMA consciousness. His submission over Krylov earned Craig is seventh “Efficiency of the Evening” bonus throughout his UFC tenure and figures to maneuver Craig into the highest 10 of the sunshine heavyweight division. And given his thrilling type and present profitable streak, Craig is hopeful that followers and the UFC are about to get behind him in a significant means.
“I’m simply letting it go. I’m simply gonna journey the wave,” Craig stated. “Generally you go to the seashore and the waves are small and generally they’re large; I imagine proper now, it is a large wave I’ve bought, and when the wave begins to decelerate and get a bit smaller, then it’s time to leap off the boat and possibly paddle off to the aspect of the water. However proper now, the wave is very large, and hopefully the UFC will get behind me, hopefully the followers get behind me and are like, ‘ what? I kinda like this man. I kinda like this getting beat up and drop them there with a submission.
“As a result of let’s be sincere, watching that battle Saturday evening, I guess there was individuals who have by no means seen me battle earlier than who had been like, ‘Paul Craig, he’s completed. He’s about to get knocked out and it’s sport over for him.’ After which there’s individuals who understand how I battle and have seen me battle earlier than and battle the very same means who had been like, ‘No, he’s nonetheless in. Outdated Braveheart remains to be in, man. He’s bought a wee bit left.’ And I confirmed it Saturday evening in opposition to a prime stage opponent.”
For his subsequent battle, Craig is hoping he’ll get a good larger stage opponent.
Following his win on Saturday, Craig called for a fight with one-time light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith, nonetheless it seems that Smith is prone to be matched up with Magomed Ankalaev in a possible title eliminator bout. Provided that, Craig is hoping that his years of service to the UFC will earn him a crack at one other prime title.
“I’m at all times trying up. I’ve fought the blokes on the again and I’ve fought the blokes simply coming in. I imagine I’ve completed my dues, I’ve paid my dues,” Craig stated. “There’s guys on this sport, like [Jiri] Prochazka — and I’m not saying that it’s a nasty factor, he’s had some superb fights, and don’t get me flawed, he got here in as a really skilled athlete to the UFC, however he’s solely had a number of fights within the UFC. The place there’s guys toiling, and I imagine I’ve toiled. I’ve fought all the blokes up-and-coming and I’ve proven the UFC what I can do, and there’s by no means been a time the place Mick Maynard’s despatched an e-mail saying, ‘Are you able to battle this man?’ and I stated ‘No, I don’t actually wish to battle him, I’m scared, I don’t wish to try this, he’s not a good battle.’
“If the UFC despatched a reputation, then I’ve stated, ‘Yep, we’ll take it.’ There’s not any going backwards and forwards. ‘Can we’ve got this man? Can we’ve got it right here?’ I’ve stated yep, as a result of it’s the perspective I’ve bought the place I’ve not bought lengthy on the planet of MMA, and to be one of the best you could be, you could go up in opposition to one of the best and discover methods to beat them.
“It’s about showcasing what you’ve truly bought and showcasing what you’ve not proven,” Craig continued, “and I do know I’ve bought nonetheless a lot extra to point out on this sport. You’ve solely seen a really, very small a part of my jiu-jitsu sport, and also you’ve solely seen a really, very small a part of my putting. There’s extra in there.
“We’ve seen Thiago Santos in opposition to Ankalaev, and I don’t wish to be choosing fights with guys on a shedding file, however he’s nonetheless fought for the title, he’s nonetheless within the prime 10, he’s nonetheless a family title, so that might be an attention-grabbing battle. The identical once more for [Volkan] Oezdemir, the identical once more for Dominick Reyes. All these guys are guys that I might battle.”
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