Paul Craig was a football coach who didn’t know what UFC was, now he’s on a card with Nate Diaz as Scotland prepare for battle in Euros

Paul Craig is back in action this Saturday at UFC 263 when he fights Jamahal Hill on the undercard of Leon Edwards vs Nate Diaz.

The bout was originally meant to go down in March but Hill was struck down with COVID. Hill represents a similar test to Craig that Tyson Pedro did when he entered the UFC an unbeaten fighter and this is the fight the company wanted.

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Craig, 14-4, speculates that UFC wants to see Hill tested with his ju-jitsu and that’s why the Scot has been given the call - and that makes sense. The five submission victories Craig has at 205lbs is the joint-most ever.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Craig explained why at 14 in the world, he shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Jamahal is 9-0, never really faced adversity and now coming into this fight, he should be worried if he’s not worried,” Craig started. 

”If he’s thinking ‘I’m going to knock him out’ then I think he’s very arrogant and I don’t think he is that. Everyone who makes it to the UFC has to have a wee bit of humbleness about him. 

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“Ultimately, this is a very, very tough sport and you’ve got an angry man standing in front of you trying to beat you. So hopefully he doesn’t think he’s going to walk through me because if that’s the attitude he has got, it’s going to be a really bad night for him.

“I make fights ugly. I grind, I work hard and even when I’m done, I’m never out. We’ve seen that when I look like I’m down I’m able to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. 

“These are big men that can throw a lot and are very explosive, but they’re relying on that. Over three rounds, they start to wilt and these power shots aren’t as strong as they once were. I believe I match up well with pretty much everyone in the top 10. 

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“I take you down and it becomes my world. I have to worry about taking a few heavy hits, but once I get you into that clinch, a bodylock or any kind of wrestling position, I feel I dominate these kind of guys. In the next year, I want to be in the title prospect situation.

“I believe I don’t have long left in my career, so I’m going to have to work my ass off to get to where I want to be.”

Now 33, Craig realises he perhaps only has a few years to realise his lofty ambitions and he has to add to his four-fight unbeaten streak this Saturday. This is the most momentum he’s had in UFC and the time to capitalise is now.

But, that wasn’t always the dream for Craig.

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Prior to fighting, which he didn’t start until 24, he worked as a soccer coach in his local community in west Scotland, before teaching with an educational charity in high schools.

At the beginning of his UFC career, he had to take an unpaid six-month sabbatical from his job.

As Craig told MMA Junkie, he didn’t even know what UFC was when he first stepped into a gym.

“My friend took me down to this gym in Coatbridge (his hometown) that was full of sweaty, half-naked people, and I had never even seen the UFC, so it was a bit weird,” Craig said. “But once I started learning, it just took over.

Now, he’s fighting on UFC 263 and his beloved Scotland will begin their journey at Euro 2020 on Monday.