Is Paul Craig Jewish? Has 'Bearjew' ever discussed the origins of his nickname?
Paul Craig is scheduled to take on Rodolpho Bellato at this weekend's UFC Vegas 106 event. It will be the Scotsman's first bout since he suffered a unanimous decision loss against Bo Nickal at UFC 309 in November 2024. Among the topics on fans' minds ahead of UFC Vegas 106 is Paul Craig's nickname.
The Scotsman is known by a peculiar alias, 'Bearjew'. But is he actually Jewish? If not, why the nickname? As it turns out, Paul Craig is not Jewish and has yet to explain the origins behind his nickname in any interview, despite being asked several times.
In fact, in 2017, Craig was once a guest of the MMANews Podcast and refused to disclose the origins of his 'Bearjew' nickname. What is known, however, is that Craig is one of the best fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division and has defeated several top contenders at 205 pounds.
He has even finished former UFC light heavyweight champions Maurício 'Shogun' Rua and Jamahal Hill, who vacated the title not long ago. Magomed Ankalaev, Dagestan's resident 205-pounder, tasted defeat for the first and only time at Craig's hands when the latter submitted him with a triangle choke.
Worse still, the loss took place on Ankalaev's promotional debut. Despite his success against some of the division's best, the Scotsman has never held light heavyweight gold but is hoping for a change in fortune by defeating Brendan Allen this weekend.
Though at 35 years old, time is of the essence. Another loss could be a permanent setback, making it difficult for him to work his way back into possible title contention.
Paul Craig's only UFC win streak
Paul Craig has been a part of the promotion since 2016 but has only ever mounted a single win streak in the UFC. Unfortunately, the Scotsman has had the misfortune of being on several win-loss runs that have robbed him of having more than one win streak. So what of the one he did manage?
Between 2020 and 2022, Craig went on a tear, beating four light heavyweight opponents in consecutive wins for his best-ever run, which consisted of finishes over the likes of Jamahal Hill, Maurício 'Shogun' Rua, and Nikita Krylov.
He now competes in the middleweight division.