UFC Fight Night 142: Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa - Predictions and Picks

#6 Paul Craig vs. Jim Crute

Scotland's Paul Craig is looking for his third UFC win this weekend

Scotland’s Paul Craig looked like a man to watch when he burst into the UFC with a surprisingly impressive submission win over prospect Henrique da Silva, but a pair of pretty one-sided losses to Tyson Pedro and Khalil Rountree took his shine away immediately and many labelled him a busted prospect.

This March saw him turn things around in dramatic fashion, though; after taking a beating from Magomed Ankalaev for three solid rounds, ‘Bearjew’ somehow caught the Dagestani in a triangle choke and forced him to tap out with only one second remaining in the fight.

The biggest issue that Craig has had to contend with at the UFC level is a simple lack of natural athleticism. That wasn’t a problem for him on the regional scene or against a fellow lesser athlete in Da Silva, but against more explosive opposition in Pedro, Rountree and Ankalaev, he was clearly found wanting despite pulling out the win against the latter.

Against Aussie newcomer Crute, he could find himself faced with similar difficulties. Crute is inexperienced as he’s only 22 years old and despite being 8-0, he’s only been fighting since 2016. But he makes up for this inexperience with a lot of athleticism and power, and while he’s nowhere near as polished as even a relative rookie like Pedro, he’s still a concussive striker – as we saw in his win on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Does Crute have enough in his arsenal to put away a veteran like Craig, though? It’s a big question mark; Rountree dealt with Craig easily on the feet but few other 205lbers hit quite as hard as him, and against Ankalaev the Scottish fighter managed to hang in there despite absorbing a serious amount of punishment. And on the ground, he’s a highly skilled and dangerous grappler.

If Craig can get Crute to the ground then, this should be his fight, as ‘The Brute’ doesn’t appear to have shown much in the way of grappling chops – at least in the available footage on him – but that’s a big “if” as the Scotsman isn’t an accomplished wrestler. In the end though, I think his UFC experience might be enough to pull him through – but don’t be surprised if Crute takes him out early.

The Pick: Craig via first round submission