"I carry too much weight in between my legs!" - Paul Craig jokes about why he can't fight at a lower-weight class
Paul Craig's recent six-fight run has earned him the no. 8 UFC light heavyweight ranking. At 34 years old, Craig has fought all 21 of his MMA fights at light heavyweight. When asked about potentially changing divisions in the future, 'Bearjew' had a hilarious answer as to why he couldn't move down in weight.
During his UFC London media day interview, SportsKeeda MMA asked Paul Craig about his future and a potential weight class change. 'Bearjew' revealed he would fight until the UFC doesn't send him contracts and had this to say about moving down to middleweight:
"Yeah, we could probably move down weights and all this kinds of stuff, but I just think light heavyweight is where I'm at...I believe that's where I should be. We did do DEXA scans and all that kinda stuff to see if we could actually make the lower weight class, and it's impossible. I carry too much weight between my legs."
Craig joined the UFC in 2016 and had a rocky start going 3-4. Since then, 'Bearjew' has gone 5-0-1 in his last six, boosting him to no. 8 in the rankings.
The Scottish fighter now returns at UFC London on July 23 against Volkan Oezdemir. With a win, he could potentially jump Dominick Reyes and Thiago Santos to no. 6.
Watch Paul Craig's media day interview below:
Paul Craig shared his view on light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka
Light heavyweights still have a direct path to the title due to a lack of contenders. If Craig can win at UFC London, he will likely be one or two fights away from a title shot.
#UFCLondon By the Numbers: 81.2% of Paul Craig's wins have come by way of submission and another submission victory will tie former champion Glover Teixeira for the most in UFC history. https://t.co/k4QfX98GIK
During the same media day interview, 'Bearjew' detailed his opinion on champion Jiri Prochazka by saying:
"Watching his fights and watching Glover [Teixeira], a man at 42, I'm watching that saying I would've finished that. I'd have finished that as well. Probably wouldn't have done that. Would've finished that. And it gives you confidence on your own abilities...Do I think he will be the champion long? No."
Craig went on to say how it's easier said than done when watching fights. Oezdemir is a tough opponent at UFC London, but he's also lost two straight fights.
The matchup also presents a classic striker vs. grappler display. 'Bearjew' seems to have a solid chance at another highlight-reel submission.
Both Paul Craig & Nikita Krylov will be competing this weekend. The last time we saw these two inside of the Octagon, Craig was being bludgeoned prior to locking up another triangle choke. #UFCLondon https://t.co/TFKuMMDow0