Paul Craig made his final walk to the UFC Octagon when he squared off against Modestas Bukauskas in Paris this past Saturday. Scotland’s “Bearjew” removed his gloves and set them down in the cage, signaling his intention to officially retire from MMA after what was the 21st UFC bout of his 29-fight career.
Unfortunately for Craig, he lost the bout via knockout at the end of Round 1. But the decision to call it a career was one he made well before learning the result.
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“It was one more chance,” Craig said when speaking on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday. “It was Paris, and one of the things that happen in this sport is you make way for the young guys. And Modestas, he’s a young, up-and-coming guy on a great streak. He’s one of the top U.K. prospects, so it just seemed like a great opportunity for me. If I beat him, then I beat a young up-and-coming guy. If I lost to him, then it was sort of passing the band. I did it for a long time, so I’m kind of glad that it’s out there.”
Craig, 37, revealed that he kept the impending retirement announcement a secret from the world. Initially, the submission specialist started to consider life after MMA in the wake of his middleweight loss to Bo Nickal last year.
Ultimately, circumstances changed upon another shot at light heavyweight.
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“I was going to retire then. That’s sort of when I made up my mind that this sport probably isn’t for me. I’ve seen better days,” Craig said. “They offered me sort of redemption at 205 [pounds]. There was this whole nonsense with the rash the night of the fight, and then the fight was moved four weeks later, and the fight ended in a no-contest. I didn’t want that to be my last fight. If I was going to go out and I was going to get beat, that’s how I wanted to leave the sport.
“I used to say I’m not in this sport for anything other than memories. I’ve got nothing but memories over the last 10 years, and they are pretty positive. … I’m more than happy to walk away knowing that I never got the title. The highest I got was No. 7 as a light heavyweight. But not everybody in this sport will be a champion.”
Action was always guaranteed with a Craig fight, as the Scot only battled to the judges’ scorecards on three occasions. He left it all on the line every time out and pulled off wins over multiple future champions in the process.
If Craig had to label something as his biggest regret, it would be not leaving his small gym in Scotland earlier than he did. It wasn’t until three years ago that Craig made the departure. Despite the less advanced training camps, he scored his proudest victories.
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Unsurprisingly, the 2018 last-second comeback armbar win over Magomed Ankalaev takes the cake for Craig’s greatest achievement. All these years later, that loss still sits as the lone blemish on the current UFC light heavyweight champ’s otherwise flawless resume.
“At that point, I was ready to leave the sport,” Craig said. “I always made a deal with myself that I wouldn’t take anything less than the best. And when I say the best, I mean I’ve always held the UFC as the pinnacle of this sport. So even at the time when Bellator was still there, another few promotions, UFC was always my goal. If the UFC decided to cut me after that fight against Ankalaev, then I was going to walk away.
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“So I’ve prolonged this career for seven years, and I’m happy with it. Going for that last-second submission after taking a beating from the current champ, and then having the opportunity to stand in Sao Paulo against [Mauricio] ‘Shogun’ Rua, to break Jamahal Hill’s arm, to get the victory after COVID against [Nikita] Krylov. I’ve had so many good memories. I genuinely cannot pick one where I’ve been so happy. Even the losses are still a part of the career, and I still enjoyed them. That feeling you get from win, lose or draw is still an amazing feeling that no one will ever experience apart from a fighter.”
As Craig embarks on life post-MMA, he isn’t sure what it will hold, whether that’s in or out of the sport in which he made his name. Having taken notes from his fellow fighters of yesteryear, Craig doesn’t expect to return to MMA, thanks to the damage that comes along with it. However, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of Craig in competition.
“I believe I’ll still do the jiu-jitsu element,” Craig said. “I love that sport. I don’t get punched in the face, you don’t take as much damage as you do as an MMA fighter, so I’ll definitely dip my toe in the jiu-jitsu scene, but I can’t see myself coming back as one of these MMA shadows. I hate to see these guys do it.
“MMA was never my first career choice. I fell into it, and I was lucky enough because it gave me so many good opportunities. If I go back to teaching, if I go and use something with the sport and the world of coaching, PT, I’m not sure what I’m gonna do. I can’t just sit around and do nothing because that’s going to make my mind go absolutely wild. I do believe I’m gonna be involved in this sport in some way.”
