Pride of Scotland Paul Craig ready to add to list of quick finishes at UFC Sacramento

SCOTLAND’s newest UFC star steps into the Octagon for the first time on Saturday night in Sacramento as a man with a plan.

Paul ‘Bearjew’ Craig is the latest British star to make the jump from the domestic scene to the world stage with the UFC, and the undefeated light-heavyweight will make his debut in California in the night’s featured preliminary bout against fellow unbeaten prospect Luis Henrique da Silva.

For Craig, whose career to date has seen him fighting exclusively on UK soil, Saturday night’s fight represents not only his first bout in the US, but his first visit to America as he bids to make a winning start to life in the UFC.

"It’s my first time in the States. It’s a beautiful place,” he told SunSport this week.

"But in regard to Sacramento, I could be anywhere in the UK. It’s not particularly warm, it’s a bit overcast. So I’m treating it as if I’m down in Coventry or anywhere else in the UK.”

Craig, whose impressive 8-0 record (7 submissions) has seen him claim first-round finishes in all of his amateur bouts and seven of his eight pro outings, takes on the Brazilian known as ‘Frankenstein’.

And with da Silva’s record showing 12-0, with 10 KOs and 2 submissions, it’s a fair bet we’ll see the bout finished inside the distance one way or another.

Despite facing a dangerous finisher, Craig’s relaxed approach has meant he hasn’t spent hours digesting video footage of his opponent. Instead he works on his all-round technique while his team studies the tape and focuses on the gameplan for the fight.

"I don’t actually research my opponents,” he explained.

"I feel if I sit and watch every single video this guy’s ever done, I’ll be waiting on things.

"If you’re fighting a grappler you’ll end up watching for certain grappling techniques. If you’re fighting a striker you’re gonna watch for their overhand right or whatever it is he’s gonna do.

"So I don’t bog myself down with these details. That’s what my coaching team does. They come up with the gameplan.

"I’ve got all the faith in my coaching team and they know the gameplan, we know the gamelan for how we’re gonna beat this guy.

"Our gameplan is simple. We’ve got a striking scenario, we’ve got a grappling scenario and we’re pretty happy to take this fight wherever it goes."

Craig’s calmly-spoken, level-headed approach to his Octagon debut reflects his overall approach to his MMA career.

Initially, the Scot hoped to progress as a footballer, but after a few gym visits he was persuaded to take some MMA classes and fell in love with the sport.

And even now as one of the UK’s top fighting prospects, he’s able to push himself forward without placing expectations on his performances.

"I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself,” he revealed.

"I got into this sport to try something different. I’ve not put any pressure on myself to achieve. It’s just kinda happened.

"That’s the key for me. Not putting myself under pressure and having good people around me.”

It’s an approach that has paid dividends so far, with Craig winning the BAMMA light-heavyweight belt from Poland’s Marcin Lazarz last November.

And he’s reached the world level despite juggling his fighting career with his day job as a teacher for educational charity SkillForce.

Working with young adults across the UK, Craig goes into secondary schools and helps students develop their ‘soft-core’ skills, such as communication and teamwork, even using his MMA background to help instil the values of discipline and respect.

It’s grown his fanbase, with many of his pupils following his exploits in the cage, as well as enriching him professionally.

“I love my job,” he explained.

“I wake up on Monday morning happy. Not a lot of people can say that.

“And that’s the reason I juggle the two of them - working in education and working as a professional fighter.

"Some days it’s hard to juggle, some days it’s easy. But I love it.”

Juggling those two careers is something Craig hopes to maintain as he looks to progress his MMA fortunes in the UFC.

And while his debut is mere hours away, the Scot already has a roadmap for the next six to 12 months as he bids to climb the light-heavyweight ladder.

With rumblings of a possible return to Glasgow in 2017, Craig says he’d love nothing more than to showcase his skills in front of his home countrymen.

"I think one of the things I didn’t get the experience of was having loads of local fights in Scotland,” he told me.

"There weren’t many light-heavyweights in Scotland, or the ones that were there weren’t at the same level and they wouldn’t have been great matchups for me to take.

"I’ve always wanted to headline a show in Scotland, or be on a big show in Scotland.”

"I thought BAMMA would be able to do that, but unfortunately they didn’t. They didn’t take a chance on me - I don’t know why.

"We’ve got some Scottish guys, Joanne Calderwood and Stevie Ray, who are flying the flag for Scotland already in the UFC and doing the business. So I’m hoping they’re (the UFC) going to come back.

"My plan - this is what I would like - is to fight at UFC London in March. Fight another top-level opponent, get another win under my belt, then come to Scotland and get a UFC legend. I would love that.”

But before any serious thought turns to the possibility of competing on UK soil in 2017, Craig has the immediate task of dispatching da Silva in Sacramento and handing the dangerous Brazilian his first loss into the bargain.

"Expect an explosive fight,” he said.

"Expect it to be over very quickly. We don’t get paid for overtime in the cage.

"It’s scheduled for 15 minutes, but I’ll look to get it done in the first round."

Watch Paul in action at UFC Fight Night: VanZant vs Waterson live on BT Sport 2 from 10pm GMT on Saturday, December, 17 or catch the Early Prelims on UFC Fight Pass from 8:30pm GMT