Paul Craig is coming into Rio de Janeiro with an even bigger chip on his shoulder than usual. That’s all because he feels like the UFC is hoping he’ll lose in his UFC 301 fight against Caio Borralho.
Borralho may only be five years younger than Craig, but that’s enough to make “Bearjew” suggest the UFC is looking to pass the torch onto the local fighter. He shared that thought in an interview with TNT Sports.
“The UFC has obviously made this match because they want me to go to Rio and take a loss,” Craig said (via MMA News). “They want to build this young guy. I genuinely believe that.”
“I don’t know if it’s just me being myself, being that UK fighter and we always kind of write ourselves off as the underdog,” he continued. “I’m 36. What do you do with a 36-year-old champion if I get the opportunity? It’s much easier to push a Brazilian champion, much easier to push a much younger guy, much easier to push a guy who’s got this unbeaten record in the UFC.”
“But as I’ve said, I’ve built a career on upsetting the norm. That last-minute submission against Magomed Ankalaev, breaking the arm against Jamahal Hill. When my back’s against the wall is when I do my best work.”
This is a regular refrain from fighters. Whether it’s a sincere belief or just something they use to hype themselves up is unclear. But UFC CEO Dana White has firmly denied his matchmakers are throwing older fighters under the bus.
“A lot of these fighters, you’ve heard it many times in the past,” White said after they tried to feed Dustin Poirier to Benoit Saint-Denis. “‘They want me to lose,’ or ‘They’re trying to make me lose.’ I heard some nutty s— the other day from somebody that I won’t even mention, but we don’t determine whether you lose or whether you win. You do.”
Craig will get his chance to win on the opening fight of the UFC 301 pay-per-view on Saturday May 4th.
