Scottish legend Paul Craig retired from MMA on 6th September 2025 after a knockout loss to Modestas Bukauskas in the first round.
Despite the defeat, the Paris crowd gave the Scotsman a standing ovation when they saw him place his gloves in the centre of the Octagon, giving him a send-off he truly deserved.
Known for his high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ‘Bearjew’ brought a ‘kill or be killed’ mindset into every fight. With 21 bouts in the UFC, 17 ended in a finish. This attitude turned the Scotsman into a fan favourite as they knew, win or lose, Paul Craig would deliver an entertaining fight.
Paul Craig The Champion Killer
Craig boasts an impressive resume, having finished three former or future champions.
Down on all three judges’ scorecards, Craig submitted the former light heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev, via triangle choke in literally the last second of the final round of their fight in March 2018.
This became the Scotsman’s trademark finish. Regardless of whether he was losing the fight, all he needed was one second to catch his opponent in a triangle choke, and the fight was over. Thanks to this quality, Craig holds the record for the most wins via triangle choke in UFC history (4).
Fast-forward to November 2020, ‘Bearjew’ knocked out former champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in the second round. The Scotsman followed this up with a win over future champion Jamahal Hill in what was his most bizarre and brutal finish of all.
Craig caught Hill in an armbar and dislocated the American’s elbow, but Hill refused to tap. ‘Bearjew’ then transitioned to a triangle choke to finish the fight, and yet Hill continued to punch Craig with his only remaining functional arm. At this point, Craig delivered a succession of hammer fists and elbows to the trapped head of Hill, forcing the referee to intervene.
The Title Shot That Eluded Paul Craig
Unfortunately for Craig, this win streak came to an end in a unanimous decision loss against Volkan Oezdemir. Had he won that fight, he would likely have been awarded a title shot, which eluded him for the rest of his UFC career.
Despite this, Craig should hold his head up high for what he achieved in his career. The most triangle chokes and the third most Performance of the Night bonuses in UFC history (8) isn’t bad for a former high school teacher.
