Airdrie's Paul Craig desires a match on residence soil after upsetting the percentages with an excellent victory over Nikita Krylov at UFC London.
Craig was the Briton least prone to emerge from the 02 Area with a victory however he was eager to show that wasn't the case.
Nicknamed 'BearJew', the fighter confirmed no indicators of slowing down regardless of an announcement earlier this yr that he'll retire in 2022.
The 34-year-old weathered an early storm and used his elite jiu jitsu expertise to catch Krylov in a spider's net, securing a triangle choke from his again and the Ukrainian tapped.
It is a consequence which that strikes Craig into rivalry for a possible title battle additional down the road in a reasonably open mild heavyweight division.
On his method backstage from the Octagon, the Airdrie bruiser was then seen downing a celebratory pint handed to him from the gang.
And after such a win, Eleventh-ranked Craig mentioned on the battle's BT Sports activities broadcast that he desires a bout in Glasgow in opposition to eighth-ranked Anthony Smith: "That is an entertaining sport. Had been you entertained?
"Hulk Hogan, he used to get pumped off all that (taking massive pictures). "Glasgow. June. Anthony Smith. 5 rounds. He (Krylov) wasn't giving me any areas so what I has to do was enable him to hit me within the face.
"I do know it sound ridiculous, however with that he was opening up his closed model. I am getting higher. I managed to get him down into my world."
His highly effective Ukrainian opponent had him in opposition to the wall within the opening minutes, with the Scot taking damaging pictures to the top.
Controlling his feelings was a giant purpose why Craig managed to manoeuvre his method out of that scenario and over the ending line.
He added: "I have been within the sport a very long time, it units you up for these things. Emotionally, I am prepared. Once I joined I used to be very inexperienced, very naive.
"Now I can management my feelings and use them in fights. What a sport, one minute you take heavy floor and pound, the subsequent you are whispering in his ear. I advised him: 'It is over.'
"Sitting right here proper now, that is one thing folks by no means expertise and I get to do it usually. I imagine the UK have the demand for MMA. We see this on this card. It is stacked with European and UK expertise.
"Why would we not come again? This sport is supposed to be watched stay, not on the sofa the subsequent morning. It isn't meant to be up at 5 within the morning feeling knackered. I'm an enormous advocate for extra UK fights, I'm pushing this."
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