Paul Craig Not Certain If UFC Will Keep Him Despite Fight Night 127 Win

Paul Craig spoke following his win over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 127. Highlights are below, per MMAjunkie:

On his future in the UFC: “I don’t really know if I’ve done enough to get my contract renewed. We never know. The UFC have got this massive roster, and if I was Dana White and I was watching that, I’d be like, ‘Ah, mate. You’re getting no contract. You can fight for somebody else.’ I’m being genuinely serious. I’m not gonna lie to you and sugar-coat this. But you know what? In another six months, and I’ll be better again. And another six months again, and I’ll be better again. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to get better. I’ve only been doing this sport for five years. There are guys who have dedicated their whole lives to this.”

On getting the submission in the final seconds of the fight: “I heard that wee chap (with the clapper) and I just thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ Fire up a triangle, see what happens. And as my coach says, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

On Ankalaev: “I don’t know if you saw me take a big body shot. But after that I was like ‘Aaaah, goddamn. Please help me!’ I had to just dig deep. It’s hard when you’re up against a guy who’s very, very strong. He’s got some sort of Russian strength about him – I don’t know what they feed them up in Russia, but he’s solid. I managed to get two takedowns, but when you’re lying and you’ve been on your back for 10, 15 minutes, it feels like a lifetime, and it’s really, really hard to dig deep.”

On his jiu-jitsu: “I’ve got good jiu-jitsu. We’ve seen that before through BAMMA to the UFC (and) my first debut. My jiu-jitsu is my bread and butter. I’m always trying to work on my stand-up. I know I’m not a great striker. I’m not gonna lie to you and say, ‘You seen my striking, big fella? You’d better watch it!’ I’m good, but it’s hard to improve.”

On his family and personal sacrifices motivating him: “You’ve got a lot of time in that cage. It’s 15 minutes, and the only person there is you and your thoughts. Things run through your head. I’m thinking about my family. I’m thinking: ‘Paul, is this what you want? Do you want this?’ But I just kept thinking about my daughters and how much I’ve taken from them, time with my family, to go into the gym and train. Freezing cold, raining, you name it, I’m in that gym. It’s a horrible existence. Fighting in the UFC is hard, and the people that suffer are your family. But you know what makes it wee bit better? We just got a win, and we just got a submission win. I’m over the moon, man.”

On possibly fighting at UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool: “Liverpool’s just around the corner, (and) my face isn’t too bad. I wasn’t knocked out. I’ve no injuries. Why not?”