‘This game's over' – Paul Craig admits Dana White and Co. may wield UFC axe if he loses crunch Rodolfo Bellato clash
PAUL CRAIG will enter the cage this weekend with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The Scottish submission artist will make his 20th venture to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106.
7
7
7
And he'll do so in uncharted territory having lost his last three in a row, the worst skid of his near nine-year run in mixed martial arts' top promotion.
Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato stands between the Airdrie assassin and a much-needed return to the win column in the final fight of his current contract.
And he admits it could be curtains for his time as a fighter in MMA 's top promotion if he doesn't have his hand raised in the Sin City showdown.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: "The way the UFC works is you need to be winning. That's what this sport is about, and what you do in that octagon.
"It's not about all the extra media you do or your ability to chat. That's a very small part of this job.
"It's about what happens in that octagon. And I do believe that coming off the three losses, with three of those losses being against three good opponents.
"It wasn't like I had been beaten off no-names. I got beat off, Brendan Allen, who's in that top 15 and he's in that mix.
"And I got beat off Caio Borralho who's the same. And some people say he's probably the next champion in that division.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
7
"And then when you look at Bo Nickal, I wasn't beaten. I beat myself in the Bo Nickal fight. You're always worried about your next contract.
"And this is kind of one of these moments where if you don't perform on Saturday night against Rodolfo Bellato, there's a good chance that the UFC won't pick you back up.
Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery
"So that fear is what kind of motivates me as well.
"We've seen that when I fought Magomed Ankaleav and I got that victory in the last fight of my contract for that period.
"And I'm coming to the same sort of moment in my life where this is all or nothing.
"'Do you want to be a UFC fighter? Or do you want to go back to Monday [to Friday] nine-to-five and be a teacher or be working in a gym? Is that what you want to do as your job?'
"And I'm like, 'You know what, I do believe there's a little bit left in me to be a UFC fighter and be a light heavyweight champion.'
"So it's all or nothing come Saturday.
"I would love to say you're going to see a different version of Paul Craig, but you never know what happens on that night. But I'm definitely going there out on my shield. And it's a victory I'm looking for."
Paul's back may be up against the wall, but he has a habit of rising to the occasion when the going gets tough.
Two of his best wins have come when he's suffered consecutive losses, the first being his Hail Mary stoppage of 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev and his beatdown of middleweight contender Andre Muniz.
"When there is pressure, I do believe that's when you see the best Paul Craig," he said. "Somebody made a meme online and it's like, 'Paul Craig can beat anyone on any given night.' And it's true, I can beat anyone.
7
"If you put somebody in front of me and as long as I'm switched on and there's enough added external pressure, then I will rise to the occasion.
"And I do believe this is going to be one of these moments."
Paul will have to be the most "switched on" he's been in recent years to get the better of Dana White 's Contenders Series graduate Bellato, a hard-hitting former LFA light-heavyweight champion.
Bellato's early handiwork in the UFC has impressed Paul, although he believes the Brazilian bruiser has shortcomings when it comes to fortitude.
"He's an amazing MMA practitioner," Paul said of the 29-year-old. "He's coming off a draw.
"He's working with guys like Alex Pereira. He's got a very good jiu-jitsu ground game and he's got a very good stand-up striking game.
"But what he's not got is he's not got that heart of a warrior. He's not got that Celtic blood in him that runs deep.
"And I do believe that's what we're going to show on Saturday night.
"That ability to pick ourselves back up and keep driving forward and looking for our victories."
Victory over Bellato with his proverbial back up against the wall will not only save Paul's UFC bacon, it'll stop him from walking away from the sport entirely.
And the magnitude of the do-or-die desert dust-up will continue to weigh heavily on his mind until the dust has settled on the Apex clash.
He said: "It needs to be a victory for the UFC career-saving moment. This is the last fight on my contract. I do want to keep being a fighter.
"I do believe, as I get a little bit older, that I'm getting better, skill-wise, with regards to jiu-jitsu. I'm always learning.
"I do believe that I'm a much better version of a mixed martial artist than I was back when I first started. And that's the thing that keeps me in this sport.
"As long as I can keep getting better, then I'll keep staying in this sport.
"And as we said, there's a lot of pressure coming off of three losses. I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Can hat-trick ignite Adams' Scotland career?
"It's nice to score for Scotland, it's not happened much since I've been here."Fresh from scoring Scotland's first hat-trick in just under six years, and only the sixth since 1969, Che Adams was remarkably foot, right foot, header, the perfect hat-trick will hopefully serve as a confidence boost for the 28-year-old who has struggled, like many, to fire for Scotland. The side's trip to face Liechtenstein had become much more important than they'd have liked, after Friday night's ignominious Hampden defeat against a side ranked 161 places below them was viewed as a given, and any lingering nerves were calmed when Adams lashed in the opener just four minutes into the game - a smart, reactive finish following a sliced Lennon Miller shot.A driven reverse shot wrong-footed Liechtenstein's Benjamin Buchel for his second 20 minutes later, before flashing in a header with the final touch of the ball to wrap up his hat-trick."I'm happy to get on the scoresheet and help the team," Adams added."We knew it'd be difficult, the conditions weren't great, but we were very professional and our mentality was spot on."It was important to sign off this year with the win. We're happy we put things right from the Iceland game." He bagged goals seven, eight and nine for the national side on his 39th cap to get back amongst the goals in dark blue for the first time in just over a year, but it's now three years since his last competitive hat-trick, though, could hopefully spark a goalscoring revival for the Torino forward, who also assisted George Hirst for his first international has been routinely called upon by Clarke to pitch in up top, and Monday was perhaps an indication as to why."It's great for Adams to get his hat-trick," former Scotland defender Willie Miller said on BBC Radio Scotland. "It will give him huge confidence."Adams started alongside Hirst in the Rheinpark Stadion, a formation that Lyndon Dykes, who has started up top with Adams on multiple occassions, credits with getting the best out of said: "At the end of the day, everyone does get judged on goals in that position, so obviously scoring a hat-trick tonight will make him feel much better playing back in a Scotland shirt."Going forward, he'll take that confidence into the next games, I think the formations we played tonight definitely helped the game with the two upfront." Adams' journey from Saints to hat-trick Adams made his debut in March 2021, coming off the bench during a 2-2 draw against Austria in their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign first goal came two games later against the Faroe Islands, but, like many Scotland forwards, he has struggled for consistency in front of the time, he was playing Premier League football with four of his nine goals have come in competitive games, but he does contribute when not scoring, averaging a goal or assist every 3.5 games.A sole strike in a 4-1 win over Armenia in the Nations League in June 2022 was his last competitive contribution to a side void of attacking has also scored in seven different games for Scotland, who have never lost a game when he gets on the scoresheet. Adams, however, has been routinely called upon by Clarke to pitch in up top, and tonight was an indication as to why."It will be great for his confidence," former Scotland captain Scott Brown told BBC Scotland."I know every striker is judged on goals, but at the same time, it's his performance and work rate as well."What he does for the team, too, his hold-up play and link-up play have been really, really good for Scotland."That's why the manager chose to start him today, to get three goals is pretty much the icing on the cake with the last literal touch of the ball as well."
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Liechtenstein 0-4 Scotland: Steve Clarke soldiers on as Vaduz cruise keeps critics at bay
The SFA board won't be required to convene an emergency meeting this week. Those disgruntled individuals who planned marching on Hampden with their pitchforks can stand down. For now, Steve Clarke goes on. This assignment was the epitome of a hiding to nothing for the increasingly embattled Scotland manager. Anything less than a victory over a micro-state who aren't so much small fish in the international ocean as plankton and his position would have been untenable. While just a fifth win in 22 games certainly won't silence the debate surrounding Clarke's suitability for the job, it does, at least, ensure the issue rolls on to Denmark in September. Make no mistake: in the eyes of his growing band of critics, this wasn't just must-win territory for the Ayrshireman. It was must win well. But on a night that might well have signalled the end of the road for him, his side found themselves on Easy Street. Che Adams ' hat-trick, the first for a Scottish player since John McGinn's against San Marino six years ago, was added to by a first international goal for George Hirst. One of the few bright spots in the debacle against Iceland, the Ipswich forward looks like he has something to offer at this level. Adams we know all about, of course. The Torino man again demonstrated there's more to his game than goals in Vaduz. His running was selfless. His link-up play was excellent. He also claimed the assist for Hirst. On his first start for his country, Lennon Miller also did not put a foot wrong. The Motherwell teenager had a part in the first two goals. He passed and probed and looked impossibly composed. In midfield, at least, come the autumn, Clarke has selection problems of all the right kind. Heaven knows what the lie of the land will be in the goalkeeping department at that juncture. Angus Gunn, Craig Gordon and several others will hope to be fit and available for selection by then. Ross Doohan may also be in the mix. As predicted, the keeper didn't have a lot to do in the shadow of the Alps. Truthfully, he could have dragged the sun lounger he abruptly vacated on to the field and still picked up a clean sheet. Yet, whatever he was asked to do, he did it well. Notwithstanding the inferior opposition, statistically the sixth worst in the world game, this was markedly better than Friday's dismal effort. On a sticky pitch, Scotland moved the ball quickly and with purpose. They started brightly and didn't really relent. They were good value for the margin of victory. There was enough here to view the opening World Cup qualifier in Copenhagen in September with some cautious optimism. The growing sense of crisis has certainly lifted. Much pointed towards this being a comfortable evening for Clarke's players. At 205 in the FIFA rankings, 161 places below Scotland, Liechtenstein's only win in their past 47 internationals had come against Hong Kong. You could not fault the enthusiasm or the spirit of Konrad Funfstuck's players. They ran around and attempted to close down space and shut off passing lines. But their threat was negligible. There was never any question of Doohan cutting short a family holiday in Turkey to sit on a bench. The Celtic- bound keeper started in goal as expected. Cieran Slicker remained inactive, his mind no doubt occasionally flashing back to Friday's horror show. With Kieran Tierney joining Scott McTominay on the injured list, Clarke had no need to run with a system which also accommodated Andy Robertson. He shaped with a more conventional and much-changed back four. McGinn and Lewis Ferguson played wide of Billy Gilmour and Miller. Adams and Hirst played as a partnership, a rarity in international football these days. While the up-and-at-'em 4-4-2 is unlikely to be repeated any time soon, how refreshing it was to watch the Scots play with the handbrake off. These kind of encounters are only ever about the first goal. Get it early and it's then a question of how many. It's when the minutes roll by without securing it that managers start to fret. Clarke only had to wait four minutes to breathe a sigh of relief. Robertson's corner from the right was only half cleared by Maximilian Goppel. Miller didn't need an invitation to shoot. His strike rebounded off the unfortunate Kenny Kindle. Adams took a steadying touch before rifling the ball home. It had taken a year since the Tartan Army last saw a striker score for the side. Adams might already have been a provider. Hirst's movement bought him space to get his head on his partner's cross only for a deflection to take it narrowly wide. McGinn had cut an irritable figure on Friday. He was much more at ease in the sunshine of Vaduz. A drop of the shoulder led to him bounding down the left and crossing. Ferguson was only inches away. Scotland weren't to wait much longer. It was a goal to please any coach, the appetite of Miller to press high the key to ensuring Liechtenstein's attempt to play out from the back came unstuck. Keeper Benjamin Buchel's goal kick asked a lot of Nicolas Hasler. Miller got touch tight on the edge of the box to dispossess him and feed Adams. The Torino man applied a composed finish for his eighth international goal. Scotland could have scored any number after that. Another excellent pass by Miller freed up McGinn down the left. He turned inside his opponent and audaciously went for goal. Buchel saved unconventionally with his left hand. Liechtenstein offered no surprises. They were competitive, dogged but limited. Their only threat in the first half came when Kindle danced away from McGinn, cut inside and let fly. Still his shot didn't force Doohan to make a meaningful save. With the job done at the interval, Clarke's only concern would have been a drop in tempo thereafter. Commendably, his players maintained their levels. Having scored at the start of the first period, they repeated the trick after the turnaround. McGinn's ambitious strike beat substitute keeper Justin Ospelt but not the post. Anthony Ralston fired the loose ball across goal. Adams flicked it on. Lurking at the far post, Hirst made a tricky finish look simple. A pleasing night for Clarke afforded debuts to Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Kieron Bowie and Connor Barron. The run-outs from the bench for Tommy Conway and Nathan Patterson were just as welcome. Doig's story in Italy has been somewhat overshadowed by the exploits of others. But in winning Serie B with Sassuolo, the former Hibs full-back also arrived here with a spring in his step. He looked desperate to mark his first appearance with a goal and twice went close. The changes helped to ensure the game didn't peter out. The fourth arrived in the final minute of time added on. Barron's ball down the channel held up perfectly. Conway's pace allowed him to reach it and put in a deep cross. Adams' header completed the perfect hat-trick and rounded off a fine night's work.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Scotland boss Steve Clarke happy as strikers seize chance against Liechtenstein
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke was delighted to see his strikers seize his pre-match challenge in a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein. Clarke's decision to start with a 4-4-2 formation in the Vaduz friendly paid off as Che Adams grabbed a hat-trick and George Hirst netted his first international goal. After only scoring once in his previous 19 internationals, Adams kick-started the comfortable win with a fourth-minute strike to ease the nerves after Friday's 3-1 Hampden defeat by Iceland. 'That's one thing we spoke about in the dressing room, getting a fast start,' Clarke said. 'Our players had a little bit of anger in the performance at the start of the game. They knew that they'd let themselves down in the previous match. 'So, to start well and get the early goal makes it more comfortable and it's nice to build on that with another three goals. Teams maybe win here but not too many come and score four goals. 'It's been a while since the strikers scored. 'I spoke to both of them before the game. I said, if ever there was a game where they could both play up top, this was it. If ever there was a game where they could both get on the scoresheet, this was it.' Adams headed home with the last action of the game to net Scotland's first hat-trick since John McGinn struck a treble against San Marino in 2019. 'Obviously, in the second half, when I'm making substitutions, I'm leaving Che on because he's got two,' Clarke said. 'That's the first hat-trick for a Scotland player since 2019 so it's nice for Che, and it's nice for George to get off the mark international wise.' Lennon Miller had a major hand in both of Adams' first-half goals and the Motherwell midfielder showcased the range and quick tempo of his passing throughout. 'Really good,' Clarke said of the 18-year-old's performance. 'Him and Billy (Gilmour) were good in the midfield. It wasn't easy to pass the ball, the pitch was a bit sticky, but both of them were at it. 'We know what Lennon can do. He's a big prospect for us. It's nice to get these players on the pitch at an early age where you can start to give them international experience.' Clarke handed out five debuts with Ross Doohan rewarded for cutting a family holiday short to answer a goalkeeping emergency with a start. As eventful as the last few days have been for the outgoing Aberdeen goalkeeper, he had no saves to make in the game and very little action of any sort in the second half. Clarke said: 'With the experience he has got, 27 years of age, been around different clubs, sometimes on loan, sometimes permanent, he came in, was mature. 'He didn't have a lot to do but what he did he did very cleanly, so I'm pleased for Ross.' Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Connor Barron and Kieron Bowie all made their first Scotland appearances off the bench. 'It was an opportunity to give these younger players, hopefully the next generation of Scotland caps, the one that sets them on the road,' Clarke said. 'Now it's up to them to make it difficult for me to leave them out of the squad. 'But if you look at the team that's on the pitch at the end of the game, it's maybe a little glimpse into the future.'
