Paul Craig put on a phenomenal display of top-tier BJJ skills in his most recent victory at UFC 263 and after returning home, he was rewarded for his efforts with the promotion to black belt in the art. He closed the show against the undefeated Jamahal Hill in under two minutes, maintaining his perfect 100% finish-rate both in the UFC and throughout his entire MMA career. He locked up a triangle choke incredibly early in the match and switched to an armbar, clearly hyperextending Hill’s elbow beyond the point of no return and when the referee didn’t stop the match, he launched a vicious barrage of unanswered strikes to force the stoppage.
Craig ended up earning a performance of the night bonus for his impressive display and when you’re on the same card as Demian Maia, Nate Diaz, and Israel Adesanya, that’s an incredible feat. This means that Craig now earns a bonus once in every two fights as he’s developed a reputation as an exciting finisher. This reputation began when he managed to secure an incredible final-second tap against Magomed Ankalaev back in 2018, which is still the only loss on the impressive Russian’s record. He’s also now ranked 14th in the UFC Light-Heavyweight division after the fight which, combined with his current five-fight unbeaten streak, will no doubt lead to some pretty big fights for the Scotland native.
The news of Paul Craig being promoted to black belt in BJJ was announced by fellow Scottish MMA fighter and training partner Chris Bungard in a tweet on his official Twitter account, where he also congratulated ‘bearjew’ on his victory at UFC 263:
My brother @PCraigmma receiving his Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt after his massive win at #UFC263 from my coach @CoatbridgeMMA toasting and giving respect to a proper warrior @JamahalH #ScottishHitSquad #DumbAsARock #HadyourBackSinceDayOneLetsblowThisShit pic.twitter.com/RlxBvGnlPY
— Chris Bungard (@CowaBungard) June 13, 2021
