UFC News & FeaturesPaul Craig Plans to Call it a Career if UFC Contract Isn’t Renewed
Paul
Craig’s
Ultimate Fighting Championship career currently hangs in the
balance.
Craig (17-9) fought Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Atlanta last weekend. Many consider it a cursed matchup that was initially postponed from May due to Bellato being sick. Bellato was landing ground-and-pound on Craig, who landed an illegal upkick, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. While “Trator” seemed to initially protest the foul, he subsequently seemingly lost his bearings, even trying to wrestle the referee. While many questioned the legitimacy of Bellato’s injury, Craig doesn’t think the Brazilian was bluffing.
However, that was the last fight on Craig’s UFC contract. “Bearjew”
has now won only once in his last seven outings. Craig believes he
still has some fights left in him as he is constantly improving.
But considering his recent record, Craig is aware that his UFC
contract might not be extended, which would force him to hang up
his gloves for good.
“This was the last fight on my contract,” Craig told Anthony Smith. “So I’ve fought five fights on that last contract. And it’s in the balance. Do the UFC sign me? I’m coming off a few losses… I don’t believe I’m ready to retire from the sport. I believe there’s still a lot of learning that I’m doing. If I’m going into training and doing the same stuff and getting beat up and going to fights and doing the exact same stuff and getting beat up, then it’s time for me to walk away. But I do believe I’m getting better… I would like to continue to fight for the UFC. But if they say it’s not for me, then they kind of force your hand. Then it would be game over for me, and I would just walk away from the sport.”
Craig (17-9) fought Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Atlanta last weekend. Many consider it a cursed matchup that was initially postponed from May due to Bellato being sick. Bellato was landing ground-and-pound on Craig, who landed an illegal upkick, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. While “Trator” seemed to initially protest the foul, he subsequently seemingly lost his bearings, even trying to wrestle the referee. While many questioned the legitimacy of Bellato’s injury, Craig doesn’t think the Brazilian was bluffing.
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“This was the last fight on my contract,” Craig told Anthony Smith. “So I’ve fought five fights on that last contract. And it’s in the balance. Do the UFC sign me? I’m coming off a few losses… I don’t believe I’m ready to retire from the sport. I believe there’s still a lot of learning that I’m doing. If I’m going into training and doing the same stuff and getting beat up and going to fights and doing the exact same stuff and getting beat up, then it’s time for me to walk away. But I do believe I’m getting better… I would like to continue to fight for the UFC. But if they say it’s not for me, then they kind of force your hand. Then it would be game over for me, and I would just walk away from the sport.”
😳 Paul Craig says he will retire from MMA if the UFC won't offer him a new contract.
— On Paper with Anthony Smith (@theonpaperpod) June 19, 2025
“I would like to continue to fight for the UFC, but if they decide that it’s not for me then… it would be game over for me. I would walk away from the sport.” pic.twitter.com/80ltHFrX3j
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