It would seem that Paul Craig’s brief middleweight experiment in the UFC has come to a relatively swift end.
After testing the waters of a cut down to 185 pounds, Craig (17-9-1) looked to re-find winning form in a new division. While his arrival was strong, defeating the once highly touted Andre Muniz by TKO, the Scotsman has since lost three straight.
Following a submission loss to Brendan Allen and knockout at the hands of Caio Borralho, “Bearjew” was most recently outpointed by the undefeated Bo Nickal at UFC 309 last November.
That result has evidently marked Craig’s final straw at middleweight, with the veteran set to return to the division in which he was formerly ranked.
Craig will reportedly share the cage with Rodolfo Bellato (12-2-1) at UFC Vegas 106 on May 17. The news was first reported by @MagicM_MMABets on X and later corroborated by Marcel Dorff.
Paul Craig will fight Rodolfo Bellato at #UFCVegas106 on May 17th. (first rep. @MagicM_MMABets) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2025 pic.twitter.com/LXgWMACczx
— Marcel Dorff
(@BigMarcel24) March 18, 2025
Bellato is currently undefeated in his two fights since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. After a memorable comeback to knock out Ihor Potieria on debut, “Trator” most recently fought to a majority draw against Jimmy Crute at UFC 312 last month.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night at the Apex on May 17 are as follows:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev (heavyweight)
- Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato (light heavyweight)
- Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev (heavyweight)
- Luana Santos vs. Tainara Lisboa (women’s bantamweight)
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman (heavyweight)
