Paul Craig will step into the lion’s den once more this Saturday (May 4) when he faces Caio Borralho in his native Brazil at UFC 301.
The Scotsman is no stranger to travelling to compete, having already fought twice in Brazil, along with a multitude of shows away from the UK.
On his next outing, 'Bearjew' will square off against Caio Borralho. When speaking to TNT, Craig admitted he doesn't mind the travel, and relishes the chance to cause the upset in front of a home crowd. He said:
"I do enjoy traveling and getting to see the world. Somebody else is paying for it. But it's like, ah, it's like a whole process for me, you know, when you step on that plane, then it's time to leave your family behind. And it's like it's almost like statement it becoming the Bearjew, stepping into being a fighter, rather than being in the house, training and that was things I found from fighting in Glasgow was it was horrible because I was still being a father, still being a partner to my family whereas when I step on that plane tomorrow to head off to Brazil, it's like, a different character I step in to be.
"So I do enjoy it. But as you say, the Brazilian fans are a bit wild but been there twice previously, first time I shut them up when I put the beaten on Shogun, the second time didn't really go my way. Johnny Walker put a stop to me but come Saturday, at 301, I'm going to put on a performance and I'm going to silence that crowd.”
Last year, Craig moved gyms and now fights under James Doolan at Higher Level. Doolan is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the UK and when discussing the move, ‘Bearjew’ outlined exactly what it is that the new coach and new gym have added to his game.
With 13 of his 17 wins coming by way of submission, it’s no secret that the 36-year-old’s ground game has proven to be too much for many a man who has stood opposite him inside the octagon but in order to further develop as an all round mixed martial artist, Craig has put a lot more focus into the striking department. He said:
“Yeah it's definitely been an area where, if you've been a Paul Craig fan from the start you like he's a good jujitsu he needs to improve his striking, he needs to have confidence in his striking and there has been a lot of glimmers of ‘there's something there’ Working with James Doolan at Higher Level it has came night and day. I showcased a little bit in London against Munoz and I didn't quite get to do that in Vegas when I got that main event opportunity. A whole host of things led into that fight which didn’t really suit me. I'm embedded into this striking element, rather than trying to be a striker, which I am not,
“We are tagging into the areas where we believe that I can do the most damage and one of them is kicks. If you've been following my Instagram and I know my opponent has been and his coach they’ve been watching every video I’ve posted and and it's predominantly a lot of striking, a lot of heavy kicks, and I don't think it's something that is going to shock anybody. Any sort of striking that I have done and showcased any good elements of striking, it has been through kicking so I am going to lean into that and what is the worst that could happen? I fling a kick he catches it and takes me down and takes me to a place where I'm more than happy to be.”
It is yet another tough matchup ahead for Craig, with Borralho entering the contest on a 14 fight win streak but Craig is fully aware of the task at hand and stated that fans when you’re fighting at the very top level, all of the opponents are going to be tough. He continued:
“So I believe this fight is a favourable fight and I know he is a tough heavy striker, heavy grappler. He's got it all and it’s this element of being in the top 10 of any division or in the top 15. He's got it all. Gone are the days of being he's a jiujitsu guy he's a striker, now it’s he's a mixed martial artist he can do it all I know he's trained with Damien Maia.
“I know he's trained with some of the top guys and in division. But I have made a career on upsets and that’s what I am going to do when I go to Brazil.”
Watch the full interview below:
