Scottish legend Paul Craig retired from MMA on September 6, 2025 after a first-round knockout loss to Modestas Bukauskas.
Despite the defeat, the Parisian crowd gave the Scot a standing ovation when they saw him place his gloves in the center of the room. Octagongiving him a farewell he truly deserved.
Known for his high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ‘Bearjew’ brought a ‘kill or be killed’ mentality to every fight. Of 21 fights in the UFC, 17 ended in a finish. This attitude made the Scot a fan favorite as they knew that, 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.
On all three judges’ scorecards, Craig submitted former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev via triangle choke in literally the last second of the final round of their March 2018 fight.
This became the Scot’s signature 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 Scot followed this up with a victory 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 switched to a triangle choke to end the fight, and yet Hill continued to hit Craig with his only remaining functional arm. At this point Craig delivered a series of hammerfists and elbows to Hill’s trapped head, forcing the referee to intervene.
The title shot that eluded Paul Craig
Unfortunately for Craig, this winning streak came to an end in a unanimous decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. Had he won that fight, he likely would have gotten a title shot, which eluded him for the rest of his UFC career.
Despite this, Craig must hold his head high for what he has achieved in his career. Most triangle chokes and third most Performance of the Night bonuses in UFC history (8) aren’t bad for a former high school teacher.
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