A bad-blood matchup ended in a grotesque fashion, which left one fighter with a severely injured arm at UFC 263.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] and [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] finally got their hands on one another in Saturday’s pay-per-view main card opener. Craig (15-4-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) stopped Hill (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) after he snapped the American’s arm in a triangle and pummeled him with strikes. The stoppage came at 1:59 of Round 1 and was deemed a TKO due to injury.
After a feeling-out process on the feet, the fight hit the mat when Craig pulled guard. Hill escaped a few submission attempts, he was unable to dodge the final triangle. Craig torqued the arm in a nasty direction the back in a normal one. The flopping arm, paired with a series of punches and elbows by Craig, got a big pop out of those in attendance – and ultimately referee Al Guinee stepped in.
PAUL CRAIG OH MY GOODNESS!! 😱 #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/BnpvM2Vzmt
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 13, 2021
The bad blood boiled over on numerous occasions in the lead-up to their fight in interviews and on social media. When the two fighters arrived at the host hotel for UFC 263 fight week, they had to be separated by security and staff.
With the win, Craig has not lost in his most recent five outings with four wins and a draw in that stretch. The victory over Hill is his third in a row and his 13th career win by submission.
Meanwhile, Hill suffers his first professional loss. UFC 263 was only his fourth promotional appearance since his debut in January 2020.
The event took place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 263 results include:
- Paul Craig def. Jamahal Hill via TKO (arm injury) – Round 1, 1:59
- Brad Riddell def. Drew Dober via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Eryk Anders def. Darren Stewart via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Pannie Kianzad def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Terrance McKinney def. Matt Frevola via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:07
- Steven Peterson def. Chase Hooper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Fares Ziam def. Luigi Vendramini via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
- Carlos Felipe def. Jake Collier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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