Paul Craig has spoken out for the first time since his latest fight was canceled.
The Scottish fan favorite was supposed to return to light heavyweight against Rodolfo Bellato on Saturday night.
However, their UFC Vegas 106 co-main event was called off at the last minute due to a ‘medical issue’.
Paul Craig was warming up backstage when he got the news that his opponent had been pulled from the fight due to a skin infection, which Bellato described as ‘herpes’ in a subsequent social media post.
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Paul Craig details UFC Vegas 106 ordeal
Until now, Paul Craig hasn’t reacted to his UFC Vegas 106 co-main event falling through.
On Monday evening, he hopped on a call with UFC commentators Michael Bisping and Paul Felder.
“Hunter Campbell comes in and I’m like, ‘Whoa, that’s very unusual’,” Craig said on the Believe You Me podcast. “I don’t know why he’s coming in, he never comes in and wishes me the best of luck.
“He comes in and says, ‘Look, your opponent has pulled out due to a skin infection’. It’s hard. Have you been in that predicament where you are ready to walk out? I’m talking like 30 minutes.
“It’s almost surreal. You’re frustrated. You wanna kick and hit stuff. Everything you’ve worked for up until that point is kind of ripped away from you.
“The referee had seen his face. [Jason] Herzog, it was him that seen it. He’s an experienced referee, he knows his stuff and he went and grassed to the commission.”
What’s next for Paul Craig?
Paul Craig already has a new date for his fight with Rodolfo Bellato, which will take place in June.
It’s just a matter of signing a new contract and returning to training for a few more weeks.
“The fight has been rescheduled and it’s going to be within the month of June,” Craig confirmed.
“They offered us the 31st [of May], but the 31st in Vegas would have meant I had to have stayed down in Vegas for another two weeks. For me, that’s fine because it’s my job, I’m a fighter, so I’m happy to stay in Vegas.
“But when you think about coaches who have gyms to run, you’ve got training partners who also have families, and all this kind of stuff.
“Pushing it to like a month works kind of better for us. That allows us to get home, see the family, get back on a diet, and then start to strip that fat back off.”