Paul Craig made a successful middleweight debut in the UFC by defeating Andre Muniz, and expressed his interest in fighting highly-touted prospect Bo Nickal next, while not ruling out a return to light heavyweight.
Paul Craig has made a significant entrance in the middleweight division and aims to leave a lasting impression. He made an impressive debut at UFC London on Saturday, finishing Andre Muniz from the mount position. Craig, currently occupying the 9th spot in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings, was doing well in the 205 pounds category. However, it seems after his first fight in a lower weight class, Craig feels he’s found his niche at 185 pounds.
Responding to his selection for the fight, he noted on the ESPN post-fight show that when UFC offers a fight, turning it down isn’t really an option. He stressed that his ultimate goal is to find out how much he can achieve and become an MMA champion. Upon moving to a lower weight group, he expressed his desire for a top-15 opponent and was duly granted his wish. People started questioning his ability compared to that of Eryk Anders, and he was further scrutinized because he hailed from Scotland. However, he asserted that his coach’s advice, to focus not on scoring points but getting on top and punishing opponents, proved successful.
Muniz, the opponent Craig defeated, was ranked 14th in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, which means that Craig is most likely to get a numerical ranking in two divisions the next week. He hasn’t discarded the idea of permanently shifting to the light heavyweight category but plans to stay at 185 pounds for some time. Craig added that being within the top 15 is his goal, and while he holds the ninth ranking in the light heavyweight division, he hasn’t closed that chapter yet. He expressed confidence in still being able to compete with the top guys in the division and shared plans for a calculated approach if a potential shift from middleweight to light heavyweight is on the horizon.
With the commitment of staying in the middleweight category, Craig is seeking the most significant possible fights. Specifically, he expressed a desire to challenge the prominent prospect, Bo Nickal, in the upper echelons of the 185-pound division. Craig warned Nickal that he better be good at passing guard because he excels at retaining guard. Despite being a beginner, Nickal has proven his worth, and Craig sees this as an opportunity to apply his game plan. He anticipates that Nickal will put him on his back, which could provide him a chance to scramble and look for triangles and armbars. Notably, Nickal recently made the news when he scored his first UFC career TKO by stopping Val Woodburn in just 38 seconds at UFC 290.