Paul Craig reveals unique course has made him a better UFC fighter ahead of Paris return: ‘It’s about upskilling’

Paul Craig has gone back to basics and learnt the rules of MMA ahead of his next fight.

The UFC veteran returns to action this weekend in Paris in a battle of the Brits with Modestas Bukauskas, just three months after his last controversial outing.

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Craig, 37, fought Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Atlanta in June in his first light heavyweight bout in two years, having moved back up a division after struggling with an eating disorder and mental health problems.

The fight was one of the biggest talking points of the night, as it finished with fans raging at Bellato for allegedly pretending to be knocked out.

Craig was on his back when he hit Bellato, who was still in transition, with a massive upkick, and Bellato looked instantly at referee Kevin MacDonald with two hands in the air to let him know it was an illegal kick, before crashing to the canvas.

The Brazilian lay on the mat until he sprang back into life seconds later, sporting a confused look, while seemingly believing the fight was still ongoing.

Bellato doubled down on being knocked out after the fight, claiming his vision briefly disappeared, but the entire situation left several MMA enthusiasts angered and confused.

That included Craig himself, who has revealed that it left him desperate to clean up his knowledge on the rules of MMA, and he’s certainly glad he did so.

Paul Craig brushed up on MMA rules ahead of UFC Paris

“Everybody knows the rules of MMA, but we don’t know them inside and out,” Craig explained, speaking to talkSPORT.com ahead of UFC Paris on Saturday.

“And it’s only because we’ve never told them or explained them. So I decided that I would go and learn the rules.

“Not only for my own personal development, but there are situations I can put myself into that are favourable for myself and unfavourable for my opponent just by using the rules.”

Craig found a course in his native Scotland put on by the English Mixed Martial Arts Association (EMMAA), which has created some of the best referees in the sport, such as Marc Goddard.

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UFC Paris Main Card + Prelims

Saturday, September 6, Accor Arena

Main card

• #2 Nassourdine Imavov (16-4-0) vs. #7 Caio Borralho (17-1-0)
• #13 Benoit Saint Denis (14-3-0) vs. #15 Mauricio Ruffy (12-1-0)
• Modestas Bukauskas (18-6-0) vs. Paul Craig (17-9-1)
• Bolaji Oki (10-2-0) vs. Mason Jones (16-2-0)
• Axel Sola (10-0-1) vs. Rhys McKee (14-6-1)
• #11 Patricio Freire (37-8-0) vs. Losene Keita (16-1-0)

Prelims

• William Gomis (14-3-0) vs. Robert Ruchala (11-1-0)
• Oumar Sy (11-1-0) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (17-8-0)
• #7 Marcin Tybura (27-9-0) vs. Ante Delija (25-6-0)
• Harry Hardwick (13-3-1) vs. Kaue Fernandes (10-2-0)
• Sam Patterson (13-2-1) vs. Trey Waters (9-1-0)
• Brad Tavares (21-10-0) vs. Robert Bryczek (17-6-0)
• Andreas Gustafsson (12-2-0) vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov (23-1-1)
• Shauna Bannon (7-1-0) vs. Sam Hughes (10-6-0)

He attended classes over two days from nine to five, where he experienced actual scenarios, breaking down fights and judging them in real time.

“I was flummoxed by what the outcome of [the Bellato] fight was, why it was a no-contest in comparison to a disqualification,” Craig added.

The Scotsman said that a loss to Bellato in Atlanta would’ve resulted in his UFC contract not being renewed, emphasising that learning more about the technicalities involved has ‘100 per cent’ developed his skills as a fighter.

He believes that every fighter should be put through a refereeing course, as most UFC stars don’t actually know the rules as well as they think they do.

“For me, it’s about upskilling,” Craig said.

“So every single fight camp I do, after it, I’ll invest in myself. I call it betting on zero.

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“It might never come in. I might never need it. But it’s there if you’ve got it.

“When you spin the roulette and sometimes zero comes in, but the vast majority of the time you’ll never need it.

“We upskill our striking. Every single fight camp we go into, we try and learn new combinations.

“We try and learn new things to add to that. The same with jiu-jitsu. We upskill that. We never, ever upskill anything else.

“We may get better and faster and stronger and all this kind of stuff, but the actual game, we never, ever upskill it.

“So I decided to upskill and learn the rules because I don’t want to be caught in these positions again. I don’t want to make a mistake.

“And it could be the difference between me losing a fight or losing my job because potentially I’m coming off a few losses, and a loss to Bellato would have resulted in me not having a contract.

“I needed to improve my knowledge, and that was one of the ways I decided to do it.

“But I genuinely believe more people should be involved in this and understand the rules. It was a great course.”

Craig is on a three-fight losing skid in the UFC, but hopes his bout with fellow Brit Bukauskas can bring another turning point in his veteran career.

He has notable victories on his resume over current UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, Jamahal Hill, and Mauricio Rua.

The 37-year-old has the utmost respect for Bukauskas, but believes he can capitalise on his opponent’s weaknesses in what will be his 21st UFC fight.

“Unfortunately, I’m the guy that’s in front of him, and I’m the guy with the jiu-jitsu that is one of the best in the division,” Craig concluded.

“I’m so confident. My jiu-jitsu is so good. I work so hard on my jiu-jitsu, it’s always been my bread and butter, and I want to showcase that on Saturday night.”

Craig has never knocked anyone out in his UFC career and wants to experience it for the first time in Paris on Saturday, with an expectation of blood, sweat, and tears.