Middleweight Paul Craig took questions from the press at the official UFC Vegas 82 media day ahead of his main event matchup …
hi there normally we don’t get to see this look until way what’s what are you gracing us with this today it’s a part of the media I’ve been given an opportunity to Showcase my my war paint talk a little bit more about it and uh just Embrace being Paul Craig which is pretty cool um it does feel a little bit strange wearing it and there’s no final face off I don’t get to do the whole pageantry thing where I get to be in somebody’s face so if there’s any takers out there that want to shot at us come and get some not me everyone’s pointing at me no thank you um have you run into your opponent yet in here with the face done up I haven’t seen them today uh I think we’re pretty much coming to the end been here for about 9:00 just doing H bits and Bobs but he’ll see it he’ll see it coming how long does it take to get that off at the end of the night when I do it it takes less time but I imagine when a makeup artist does it this there’s a little bit there’s a little bit nicity in it so I imagine it’s going to take a lot more uh scrubbing to get off one of the first times I ever did it was done by a makeup artist and it ended up I had like a blue eye like for the for the fight so if you watch back my first fight against h henrique d Silva you can see I’ve got this nice blue eye it just makes it Sparkle I bet that freaked your opponent out a little bit and well that’s that’s part it you know uh Scottish people rock this paint when they’re ready to go to battle or ancient Scottish people uh so I’m I’m carrying that tradition on when the Scots are ready to go to battle we rock it we’ve seen Chris Duncan rock it as well so definitely starting a trained so can you talk to me a little bit about this fight week compared to last the last fight week that was your first one at middleweight how is it feeling now do you feel like you’ve gotten into a Groove yet yeah although it was my first time making middleweight it was officially I had already made it prior to that I’d made it twice just to make sure that the cut we were able to function and perform at our best ability cuz the last thing you want to be doing is spending all this time during fight Camp making the cut and then you can’t perform so we’ve made it a few times um we had the gold standard in London and that’s the way we’ve been running this kind of thing so if we can hit all the same numbers all the same uh Milestones then we’ll be able to make middleweight and perform at the best of your abilities right now we’re bang on the money we’re set at Gold Standard with regards to everything else like speed power uh all these attributes that help me be an athlete they are through the roof at the moment everything is going so much better than it was in the previous Camp um so it’s a a positive place to be as a fighter do you wish maybe you had made that move sooner or do you feel like the timing was perfect I’ve I’ve thought about this a lot being a 35 year old man you know I’ve uh I’ve seen some things done some things I’ve got some experience I’ve learned my lessons through doing certain things if I was a 25y old version of myself I don’t think I’d have the discipline or the commitment or the the drive and determination that I had I have now so I think it’s came at the right time and I know it’s like hindsight like oh how good would it been to be a middleweight as a young up and cominging Prospect now how good is it to be a middleweight as a 35y old beard you that’s more scarier than a 25y old Paul can you talk to me about your opponent what do you think of the matchup I think it’s a great matchup like very rarely do you get the UFC making bad matchups or you look at a card and go oh he’s losing or he’s winning the UFC match make it so well and when it comes to the night it it it’s what makes the show so great H this is one of these battles where a lot of people are saying like it’s going to be a grappling battle I don’t believe that I believe this battle is going to be very much a standup battle who’s going to control the distance who’s going to control the octagon and then from that who was going to capitalize with these heavy shots imposing damage imposing will and then from that it will be then ended on the ground so it’ll be one on the feet ended on the ground and you know I know that as a fighter you’re going to get criticism from fans you’re going to get criticism from the media and even other Fighters but there was a recent interview with moano where he said that you had terrible striking and I’m wondering what your thoughts are if you have a message for him but also how different it is to hear criticism from somebody who actually fights yeah you know when when Fighters or am they gives you any criticism you obviously want to show them that they’re wrong but until you’ve had any of this smoke like you can just sit there regardless of a fighter if you catch if you catch these hands you’ll know how good my striking is uh and we we’ve showed glimmer a hope in our striking and we don’t need to be a good Striker all we need to be is a good Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and we’ve showcased that as a late heavyweight we’ve beaten me the top Grapplers in the late heavyweight Division and then we obviously beat Muno who’s a very high level Grappler so when it comes to showcasing my talent like I’ve already showcased that how many how many guys arms has he broken and uh last question for me there was a big light heavyweight fight last week and I know you’re not in the division anymore but what were your thoughts on that title fight I always keep my eye in that division because that’s where I I cut my teeth and as I get older maybe there’s an opportunity for me to go back there um when I’m looking at these guys and I’m I’m seeing their ground workor because I’m I’m very much a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner I see opportunities and I’m thinking right they’re very dangerous at striking they’re very strong they’re very powerful but they ability to Jets where the best is not there um and it it fills me with hope thank you hey Paul um 16 16 fights in the UFC first main event how does that feel I had no idea it was 16 fights in the UFC so it’s h it’s time flies um I’ve had more fights in the UFC and I have outside the UFC I’ve definitely cut my teeth in the UFC learned my craft improved my craft became a much better version of a fighter if you will and I’m only getting better through every single fight Camp it’s a great opportunity to be the first Scottish fighter to headline a card like that was one of the goals I set way back when I first started doing MMA was like I would love to headline a UFC I would love to have the UFC title and I think the other one was I wanted to be part of the computer game now within a couple of years I’ve ticked all the boxes and then it’s now about resetting new goals and then getting closer to that title like I know it’s close I know I’m in the mix I’ve been given an opportunity but what you can’t do is look past your opponent who standed in front of you if you look past and be like right I’m going to get this guy this guy and then get the title then then you’re you’re going to miss the moment that you’re in at the moment so I need to be focused on Brandon Allen who as I said very good MMA practitioner but it all comes down start is it even more special like like you said you know you’re older you’re on the you’re the second leg of your career you’re in a new division does it just feel even more special that you’re finally getting your first UFC now or your first UFC Main Event now it would have been great to do us a 30-y old man and and and and cut my teeth a little bit earlier but I appreciate things so much more the fact that I am 35 uh I reckon I’ve maybe got about six to eight fights left in my career good few years left in there so it’s much better now that I’m a 35y old man and I can and I can enjoy this kind of these this Legacy I’m leaving behind for Scotland um obviously MMA math doesn’t work but do you look at like you finish hre mun faster than than Brendan did is is that did that did that didn’t know that um I think he subbed him as well didn’t he whereas I stopped him with so the Jiu-Jitsu guy didn’t sub him but the the striker or the wrestler sub them um MMA maths is one of these things like if we if we had to do that then I would have been a l heavyweight champ which I’m not um one it comes down he come down to stylistically match up like I’ve watched a lot of footage of Alan ways Jiu-Jitsu and I see he makes mistakes but he also does some very very good things as well so it’s one of these things where like if he does this I do that and it’s like the the the the scene from The Hangover where Allan’s sitting at the table and all the numbers are going through his head that’s what goes through your head at like when you’re wake when you wake up at like 2:00 in the morning you’re like right if he does this I’m going to do this and and you play out all these scenarios and it’s a really really good way to it’s it’s visual Iz ation it’s part of like a sports psychology that we that we use to improve and and and be prepared so you use it as a third person where I’m watching myself demonstrating what I’m going to do and then I’ll do it from my vision as first person so it’s a really really good thing to use that MMA math and be like right he’s definitely going to do this I’m going to do this obviously you’re in a new division now but like how does it feel to to have wins over M anive and Jamal Hill you know mamed is everyone believes he’s probably the best light heavyweight not holding a title and Jamal is a former Champion just like and you have wins over both of them how does that feel it feels good and it’s like um I can probably D out on that Victory against an the rest of my life people love that because we take a beating for 15 minutes and the last second and that’s all you need it doesn’t matter if you if if you win the race in the last second or the first second it’s all about winning it and people are like I but you you didn’t win but if you look at my record I did win so these victories mean so much to me and especially if the because these guys on and done so well like when I think about the people who have fought in the top 10 the like heavyweight division like kof like o deir like Johnny Walker I’ve fought the who’s who of top 10 in that division probably more than any other person in the L heavyweight division so now when I bring that experience down to the middleweight division like my experience is dealing with big heavy Strikers heavy Grapplers is is through the roof and I think that’s what sets me apart for mun like he’s fought middleweights and he trains a really good gym and he’s got all these skills but has he been in there with guys who are much bigger than him guys who are much more dangerous than him when you think about Jamal Hill the champion who has some of the best striker in that division you think about H kry of who’s got some of the most dangerous Jiu-Jitsu in that Division and then you think about oos deir who’s no time o deir got that power Johnny Walker with the power like I’ve hang I’ve maybe not hanging with Johnny Walker but I’ve hung with these guys and uh it’s it’s experience and I don’t think he’s got the experience I’ve got obviously you said you’re not really looking past Brendon but is Bo nickol still on the Mind well it’s one of these things like B nckl one of these guys where he’s got a bit of love people are respecting his wrestling he like I can’t take anything away for his wrestling but there’s other guys in front you me who I would love to fight there’s as I said 35 eight fights I want to get as close to the tit as I possibly can 200 uh 24 is going to be a year where I’m going to get three fights and I’m going to get close to that title rather than shooting back and I don’t mean it to be disrespectful to b nickel but if you’re not in the mix and you’re not fighting regularly and you’re not in that top 10 and you’re not working towards getting to that Bell then I don’t really want to sh a doctor on me want to share the octagon with the guys who are in that top 10 top five guys like hamim who is one of the the best middle weights we’ve seen skill-wise he obviously put a pace on uh his last fight against Usman and he he looks great but I believe my skill set against these guys is is different for everybody else in the division that ability to pull a submission or that ability to lay heavy ground in pound and win a fight is what makes me definitely feel the other medal weights and I’ve always wanted to know this like during during fight week you’re so calm you’re so nice but when you hit that faceof you’re it’s one of the most intense faceoffs in the UFC how do you get in that mindset just for that moment it comes down to the crowd it comes down to like what you’re feeling and and with the emotions it’s a very emotional game being a UFC fighter it’s highs a highs and the lows to lows there’s the the added ability of not having any calories there’s the water manipulation there’s all these kind of things and you need a little bit of fire and I think it’s I think it’s great I think it brings the best out in me and it brings the best out in my opponent they normally do one or two things one is they allow me to impose my will and impose my frame or two they decide to come at me and that makes it so much better and that gives me that little bit more fire that’s like yeah we’re going to get this in Saturday night and even when it comes to that Saturday night even that when Bruce buffer calls my name and I’m walking to the O octagon they have sent that controlling it imposing my will same again that’s the stuff I love about this sport I love the victories but I love all these we kind of moments that that that will last the lifetime with me and Fin and then finally for me is Braveheart the best war film ever made braveart the best war film ever made oh that’s a tough uh no definitely not it’s Lord of the Rings has to be love it love it thank you I want to ask you about one of your teammates and training Partners Stevie Ray he recently called it a career I mean he said he’s going stay around in the game coaching the kids you know how he’s doing yeah he’s doing well um he he obviously had fought in the pfl twice um a decorated UFC veteran as well like one of the best Scottish Fighters we ever had um but he’s obviously taking up some some we and tear through his knees and it’s probably the best time for him to leave the sport as MMA but Fighters never stop fighting they’re always fighting for something be it working with kids or be it working for H BJJ like we’ve seen him he’s got a he’s got an amazing victory over H Paddy piml we a flying heel hook I’m not sure if you’ve seen this I’m sure it was on Polaris or one of these high level grappling shows where Stevie puts a pace on Paddy piml and uh he’s going to do the same I think he’s fighting the same night as me still comes in still get rounds with him he’s now went for being H in the 80s to being in the high 90s because when Fighters stopped fighting and have stopped with that focus of needing to make weight needing to watch their calories they kind of just like to eat and and and that’s what Stevie’s been doing so he’s been a really good training partner for me in this camp with regards to size and our body and the ability to to roll with Stevie’s as an honor that’s great to hear and I saw you said that you take kicked off a lot of your goals that you had when you came into this game I’m assuming one of your next goals is to maybe possibly headline an event in Scotland or do something out there with yeah that that’s like the ultimate dream for me is Scotland I’ve fought there I fought in Glasgow once and that was UFC Glasgow and it resulted me getting knocked out that was my second sorry my third fight in the UFC I was very green I had very little experience of fighting in an octagon in front of a crowd there was a lot of issues going into that fight camp like I get knocked out there’s nothing you can say about that like it’s just one of these things that I was I had no idea what the UFC was and roundabout after my second and third fight in the UFC I didn’t think I was going to be a UFC fighter I didn’t think I was the caliber of a fighter that should be in the UFC and then after my final fight on that contract and getting the victory over anv resulted in me then having a little bit more confidence and then each contract each fight my confidence is building building building to know as I said being a older guy in the division with experience in the the the the time to home my craft it’s it’s made such a difference but to go back to Glasgow and rectify that loss would be a dream come true um I’m hopeful that within the next couple of years I’ll be headlining that show and there’ll be a poster where the blue backr with a so Tire with my face painted the way it is that’s like my Ultimate Dream now is to hit that i’ would love to have the belt but that’s going to happen first before I get the opportunity in the belt awesome yeah with the UFC traveling back I hope it can happen thank you so much man hey Paul how you doing man yeah good thanks and um with you were saying earlier on the show that um you’re the first Scotsman to headline a a fight night here and with Tom aso’s recent uh champion ship win and Leon Edwards being a champion what kind of does that say about the strength of UK MMA at the moment yeah UK MMA is well behind in the US the US have got this because it’s most of the events are all USA based so they have reasonable times to watch it and I think that’s one of the downfalls in UK MMA because we we maybe get two or three cards a year that are a reasonable time be them in Europe or be them in Australia or Abu Dhabi whatever they are but when you watch them how they’re meant to be watched in a crowd with fans discussing what he should have done what he could have done how you would have done it that’s how it’s meant to be watched I was lucky enough in Saturday there to see Tom Aspen win the Bel in a pub in Las Vegas surrounded by fight fans and the place erupted when Tom one and it and it’s like that fills me with hope and the fact that Tom’s a champ Leon Edwards is a champ we’ve got some cream of the crop rising in Europe as well as the UK I believe there’s opportunities for a huge card in the UK an arena tour maybe like a stadium get all these guys over number event sells out and it pushes the sport to the next level in the UK because that’s what we’re needing people the the sport has grown for strength to strength in the UK but we’re needing these big shows like the Leon Edwards London card like the Molly MCC Paddy piml the after lockdown London card but they need to go to different places they need to go to Manchester they need to go to Birmingham they need to explore the whole UK and I get the fact that the UK doesn’t have the the events like the US does but sometimes it’s worth to take a hit in the pocket to push a brand and make it massive in in another area I was going to say CU you fought at the O2 Arena quite a few times and it just seems like the we’ve heard from Dana White and I think Dave sure that the UFC they feel like the Forte is with Arena shows but we know they’ve done a stadium show in Australia y um you know surely it’s only a matter of time before we get you know a stadium show like the Millennium Stadium Old Trafford or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium you know would you want to kind of push push for that as well because we’ve got so many big stars over in Britain that could you know if you could even have 15 matches and they’d all be household names yeah when I first started getting into MMA and watching London cards or the Manchester cards we only like one or two people on these cards like Michael bisbing and the cards were not built with UK Fighters but now when you look at post lockdown and you think about the U the UFC London cards they’ve been stacked with UK talent and it’s just pushing that brand so yeah I’m looking I’m looking forward to seeing what going to happen in the UK and I’m I’m on I’m on the wave this I’m one of the last guys that that will be part of this cuz the next generation of guys that are going to come through it’s going to be a well established UK scene speaking of the Next Generation it seems like there might be a bit of an open goal for UK MMA because in British boxing um like the bigger fights and bigger names of fighting in Saudi Arabia and and not in the UK anecdotally do you think there’s more like Scottish kids uh you know Welsh English kids turning to MMA rather than UK boxing because UK boxing might not be delivering in the UK even though it might do in Saudi Arabia not like UK MMA is well if you think about I grew up in the 90s and we had some of the greatest boxers the all time coming out then and I’m not saying the guys aren’t great but we had the best fighting the best whereas now there’s guys who are not fighting who should be who they should be fighting in their divisions they’re maybe going about jumping about about catching all these different weight class belts because there’s so many of them there’s the I’m not saying corruption we judging and all this kind of stuff but there’s issues in boxing at the moment and it’s kind of faser in a way whereas if I’m a young upcoming guy and I’m seeing this sport of MMA where there’s so much more like elements to this I might not be the best Striker but I could be a really good Jiu-Jitsu practitioner I could have done Judo there’s all these different elements that are going to make that makes the sport of MMA so much more appealing to the Next Generation whereas boxing’s kind of I’m not saying it’s dying because it’ll never die but it’s it’s it’s went for being this massive sport in the UK or even the world to now kind of taking a backseat to MMA because MMA is putting on the best cards when you think about a boxing card you’ve maybe only got about two or three fights where you’re like oh I’m really interested to see this fight when you think about MMA from start to finish these cards are well matched and it’s the best fighting the best you want to see the number one guy fight the number two guy and that’s what you’re getting and you’re getting that week in week out you’re not getting that every once every six months and then there’s this new thing that’s happening in the world the Combat Sports where you’re getting two guys who can fight figh and that’s ridiculous people are paying money to watch two amateur they’re not even amateur Fighters two stars fight each other for the purposes of they they believe it’s entertainment and it’s it’s it’s destroying boxing when you think about the YouTube stars who are fighting each other or the celebrities that F each other it’s they’re just killing boxing um and it’s just going to push the brand of MMA UFC to the next level well said thanks Paul you mentioned uh about how you want to make a push towards the title you want to push one last one he’s in the UFC ranking he’s 10 you’re 13 right now is just getting a win enough to sort of prep pull yourself above him or do you really need that definitive finish or win to really get into that top 10 yeah every time you fight if you go if you just go to the judges that’s not entertainment that’s sport first and foremost is about entertainment the the fighting element is an add-on you need to be entertainment you think about the guys who are jumping divisions you think about how Jamal Hill got his title shot he’s entertainment on the camera off the camera regardless if he’s fighting or not he’s an entertaining guy and that’s why he managed to get that jump and same for um when we think about sugar Shan like he wasn’t naturally next in line for the title shot but because he’s entertaining he jumps the queue you think about uh like Tom Asel jumping the queue like all these guys who are entertaining and putting on performances get an opportunity so it has to be a performance going five rounds on Saturday night doesn’t cut that to automatically I get yourself into the top 10 putting on a performance getting a slick submission getting some heavy grounding pound getting a knockout that’s what gets you in that mix it’s not about the victory it’s about the element of how you get the victory last one me silly like he said we’ve seen you for 16 fights in here it’s crazy because when we first saw you I don’t think any of us could understand a word you were saying and now we hear you and we have no problem hearing hearing you at all so do we take do we ruin your accent or has your accent just sort of colonized to America a little bit more so I think it’s a bit of I think one of the things I had to do was slow my accent right the way down my accent I still believe is relatively the same but I’ve just slown it down so he can actually pinpoint the word and it’s like right I get it but then see when I speak to my like my Scottish friends and speak like this and they like I up to the day I’m going to go like they don’t understand is like huh but no I’m I’m definitely becoming more it’s only taking me 16 fights one I’ve told I’ve told that story before but um when I fought in uh South Paro and they were doing the INR ring interview and they were like right if Paul wins and we’re going to get a translator and they’re like sorry what um and I said I was like No And they said well they won’t understand you I went you’re not translating for Scottish to English like I’m going to say I had a really good experience this guy’s going to be like he had a really good experience I’m like there’s no hope in hell that I’m allowing you to to give me a translator for this this isn’t happening but no it’s um it’s been some Journey when when you say 16 fights and I think somebody tweeted the other day saying there’s only been 400 people have main evented have have been the main event so 400 people and I’m one 400 so like these are all the things that that I love about this sport it’s about being being the first to do something or having the the UFC game or being one of the Panini cards or headlining and doing all these kind of things for the first I love and representing Scotland like the UK scene is obviously getting bigger but the Scottish scene I want to try and push that and I want to be the guy that’s that’s that’s that’s the MMA fighter for Scotland it’s funny mention the transl I don’t know if you remember this story once after your first fights I found you in the airport and asked you I played the video and I said can you tell us what you were saying I remember I do remember it you come up to and you were asking what what it was I said and it was like I was i s and you’re like like you still didn’t know what I was saying so it’s it’s it’s funny but I have I’ve definitely slown right down I remember looking back at one of my interviews and I was talking about Jon Jones and I’m just I’ve obviously got a little bit of eltion for the win you know there’s all this pressure being the the first time you figh in the UFC and I’m just rabbiting on and I can just see people like shaking their head at me like no no idea what’s going on here can you teach us some slang some slang the the the one is all the Scottish guys use is I we use I like so I is yes so like um are you going it tonight I well I knew that I watch Outlander come on well I’ve never seen Outlander what I’ve never seen it you have to go to your hotel in watch Outlander and watch it I think I’ll be doing much better things when I go to my hotel than watch an Outlander um that sound you dirtty didn’t it me in the got if you’ve got a lady friend with you she’ll like Outlander and that will help for other things in the hotel later oh do it right right so I need to get a lady friend and I need to get some Outlander on the go I got it can you do can you do an American accent I can do my um I’ve got a few accents I can do and uh every time I do it I can like see people cringing so one of my favorite like oh you got to get to the chaper you must drink the monster you know what I mean and the other one I can do is H well I think I can do them I’ve actually never listen to myself and F good that sounds terrible the other one is H chrisopher Walkins hey you got it it’s been up my ass for two years you know this the monster you know sometimes you get it right up in there and it’s good you know was when it’s inevitably cut and your face will be paint and I’m like and then some’s like he it’s up my ass for two years and I think that’s pretty much all my accents I can do can you do want a Dina white I don’t know but so people always ask me they’re always like Paul what is Dina white like and I’m like I’ve only ever spoke to Dan like a handful of times but it reminds me of Tony Soprano he’s like he’s like like when I see him I’m like that’s Tony that’s the the the boss um but I I could do a probably could never do a a Dana we and I’m probably going to walk off him if I did a accent I’d get i’ get hucked so no accient of din a we but uh cheers for the cheers for the team guys that that’s good thank you I just wanted to say uh you mentioned the Panini car the the main event all that good stuff I think you’re the first guy to have the war paint at a media date that might be a first too I that’s what they were telling me was like they’ve never ever done that before so this is the first time that somebody’s came up here and uh and done it and I did all the pictures so all the all the next lot of media stuff’s going to be in the war pain which is a like like a feel privileged I feel honored to be the the first to do that and and there has obviously been guys like Kamar Usman paints his face poan paints his face and then we obviously had Cy Bala C laba who paints his whole body green like he’s like what you’re painting your face I I’m going body and I don’t you can talk that I all I like it guys have a lovely day man I’ll see you all soon