Paul Craig is back this Saturday night and takes on Brendan Allen in a middleweight clash at UFC Vegas 82. The Scotsman is looking to make it two wins in a row at 185lbs against Allen who is on a five fight win streak. Craig has made it clear that he isn’t here just to make up the numbers and is hunting gold, and a win against top 10 contender Allen would be a big statement.
UFC Vegas 82: Paul Craig vs Brendan Allen
Craig and Allen are two of the most accomplished grapplers in the division, if not the entire UFC. Craig has 17 professional wins and has finished them all – 13 of those wins have come via submission. He is a constant threat on the ground and is always looking for a way to finish his opponent. Even when it seems like he is in trouble (take the Nikita Krylov fight for example) he has found a way to pull a win out of the bag and lock up submissions in almost any situation.
Allen is currently looking unstoppable. He has finished four of his last five wins by submission and is a threat to anyone in the division. This fight is a step up for both guys at middleweight and is an intriguing contest to say the least. On paper it looks as if we could be in for a grappling masterclass, a chess match on the ground, but during his media day interviews, Paul disagreed with this assessment.
“This is one of those battles where people say, ‘it’s going to be a grappling battle’ – I don’t believe that,” said Craig.
“I believe this battle is very much going to be a standup battle. Who is going to control the distance? Who is going to control the octagon? Then from that, who is going to capitalise with these heavy shots? Imposing damage, imposing will, and from that, it’ll be then ended on the ground. It’ll be won on the feet, ended on the ground.”
Never Count Out Paul Craig
At light heavyweight, ‘Bearjew’ took out some big names. He submitted former champion Jamahal Hill in devastating fashion and also has wins over Magomed Ankalaev and the legendary Maurício Rua. After two straight defeats at 205lbs, he made the move to middleweight and made the perfect start there in July by beating André Muniz via TKO.
His ground game is incredibly dangerous and his striking has improved over time. Craig is confident in his ability, and has ambitions to go all the way to the top.
Craig said: “It’s now about resetting new goals and getting to that title. I know it’s close. I know I’m in the mix.”
All quotes credit to mmajunkie.com
Will Paul Craig fight for the title at middleweight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
