Retiring Is A 'weight Off My Shoulders' - Craig

When Paul Craig asked his coach Kieran Reed to trim disconnected his gloves pursuing conclusion by Modestas Bukauskas astatine UFC Paris past week, he stopped and looked him dormant successful nan eye.

"Are you sure? You cognize what this means," said Reed.

It is symbolic of fighters to remainder their gloves successful nan octagon erstwhile they extremity their careers, but Craig had made nan determination to discontinue 10 months agone successful November.

"It felt for illustration a monolithic weight lifted disconnected my shoulders," said Craig.

"And past each nan beautiful messages, videos and drawings that group person sent me. The comments person been unthinkable - I person been overwhelmed.

"I knew I had a fanbase and I knew they were loyal but it was bully to spot them each successful 1 place, showing emotion to maine which was awesome and my Sunday was spent successful tears because location were conscionable truthful galore beautiful messages."

Scotland's Craig planned to discontinue successful June, but his conflict against Rodolfo Bellato was deemed a no-contest pursuing a arguable forbidden up-kick.

Craig wanted to spell retired connected a triumph aliases nonaccomplishment which is why he took nan conflict against Bukauskas.

Craig - nan astir successful Scottish antheral combatant successful UFC history pinch 9 wins from 21 bouts - says nan unit of fighting successful nan world's biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion astatine nan property of 37 had caught up pinch him.

He went into nan conflict pinch Bukauskas having won conscionable 1 of his erstwhile eight.

"Not only are you representing your gym, yourself, your country, your family, everything - location are a batch of things that you person to do pinch regards to making weight and training," said Craig.

"You don't get a prime to do bully things pinch your family erstwhile you are successful conflict camp. That is 10 to 12 weeks of you being 100% switched connected and I conscionable couldn't do it immoderate more.

"I didn't want to do a disservice to myself and my squad by them representing a combatant who wasn't going successful location to dice for them."

Craig near his occupation arsenic a coach to move master and entered nan UFC successful 2016 aft winning nan first 8 fights of his career.

After 1 triumph and 2 defeats he was still unsure astir his spot successful nan sport, but this each changed aft submitting Russian Magomed Ankalaev - nan existent UFC light-heavyweight champion - successful 2018.

"I judge from that time that I reassessed goals and wanted to go much than conscionable a feline that steps into nan octagon. I wanted to person a legacy," said Craig.

His bequest wrong nan octagon is that of a grappling specialist, pinch his six wins by submission being nan 2nd astir successful UFC light-heavyweight history down Glover Teixeira's seven.

But it is nan effect he has had backmost location which is astir important to Craig.

"When I first started this athletics I was 1 of only 3 UFC fighters from Scotland," said Craig.

"Even now location person only ever been a fistful of Scottish UFC fighters, but location has only ever been 1 that has made 21 walks successful nan UFC and that is me.

"Putting Scotland connected nan representation pinch MMA - for a agelong clip we didn't person practice and I person done that."

He is besides proud of being a playable characteristic successful nan UFC video game, and holding nan grounds for nan astir triangle submissions successful nan promotion's history, astatine four.

"That benignant of worldly is my bequest and it makes maine proud to locomotion distant from nan athletics wherever I person done thing and I person been recognised," added Craig.

Craig looks backmost connected fighting erstwhile champion Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua successful Sao Paulo, and defeating erstwhile title holder Jamahal Hill arsenic his fondest memories successful nan sport.

Although Craig says his bully times outweigh nan regrets, he does person some, including switching gyms excessively precocious successful his career, and moving to middleweight successful 2023, which resulted successful him developing an eating disorder.

Looking forward, Craig doubts he will conflict successful nan UFC again, but does spot himself competing successful jiu-jitsu and returning to teaching.

"I do judge I person sewage a batch to connection young men who possibly don't person affirmative domiciled models wrong their life, and that is not conscionable successful nan gym mounting - I do judge it tin besides beryllium successful nan schoolroom setting," said Craig.

Most importantly, he is proud to beryllium exiting connected his terms.

"I americium leaving this athletics pinch bully experiences. Some group time off this athletics and they person a sour sensation wrong their rima and it takes a wee spot from them," said Craig.

"We person seen fighters who person received concussions, injuries that hampered their longevity successful life. I americium not 1 of them, truthful I americium leaving this very high."