Preview: UFC Fight Night 142 ‘Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa’
Crute vs. Craig
Light Heavyweights
Jim Crute (8-0) vs. Paul Craig (10-2)Advertisement
Yair Rodriguez may have stolen the 2018 “Comeback of the Year” award from Scotland’s Craig, but it is worth remembering the unlikely accomplishment that was Craig’s win over Magomed Ankalaev. Craig spent the better part of 15 minutes getting battered from pillar to post, only to clamp down on a triangle choke that got Ankalaev to tap in the last second of the fight. That is a perfect summation of Craig’s skills. He can be physically overwhelmed, but he is a slick fighter in the clinch and on the mat. His aggressive submission skills are not anything amazing in a vacuum, but at light heavyweight, there are more than enough opportunities to tap out opponents, and Craig hopes Crute, a debuting Melbourne, Australia, native, is his next victim.
Crute comes to the Ultimate Fighting Championship through Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, and the cynic would say that he only secured his UFC contract as part of getting his DWTNCS tryout from a sponsorship with AirAsia; or maybe Crute is just the type of fighter that White likes -- a raw, offense-first combatant who is still more potential than production but, at 22, has room to grow. Nothing about Crute particularly stands out besides his youth, but he has shown enough grappling skill to be competent, at least by the standards of the Australian scene. Like a lot of the UFC’s recent signees, Crute is a talent that needs the right matchmaking to develop before being put through the thresher.
Craig is no great shakes and Crute hits with power, so the Australian has a clear route to victory, but this looks like the Scot’s fight to lose. Crute does not appear to be the type of athlete to physically overwhelm Craig, who can hold his own on the feet, and as soon as these two engage in the Octagon, Craig should be able to implement the best parts of his game, particularly once he takes this to the mat. It may take a while to get going, but the pick is Craig via second-round submission.
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