LONDON – In territory he’s not entirely familiar with, [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] is hoping a new look 20 pounds down will be the reboot he’s looking for.
After a 5-0-1 run – including a fast knockout of eventual champion Jamahal Hill – had him in the conversation among the UFC’s light heavyweight elite, Craig (16-6-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) is on just the second two-fight skid of his career. Saturday on the ESPN+ main card at UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London, he’ll try to get right against Andre Muniz (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
But instead of 205 pounds, Craig will make his first drop to middleweight.
“I believe the cut to middleweight is more suited to my style, as well as my frame,” Craig said at Thursday’s media day in London. “I was always a middleweight pretending to be a light heavyweight, and I wasn’t sure if it was achievable to get to middleweight. Then dealing with the UFC (Performance Institute), it’s made it more achievable. So now that I’m moved down, I believe that it’s going to be a lot more opportunities for me, and especially as you’re seeing with these two losses, I’m looking to get that victory back.”
Muniz had a nine-fight winning streak snapped in February when he was submitted by Brendan Allen in a main event. It was the first submission loss of the third-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s career. Craig has 13 of his 16 wins by submission, including six of his seven performance bonuses.
UFC Fight Night 224 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.
Check out Craig’s full UFC Fight Night 224 media day interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.