Paul Craig fought Andre Muniz on the main card of UFC Fight Night London. After a long stint at light heavyweight, Craig wanted to try out a new challenge in the middleweight division and he took on a very credible opponent. Many doubted whether he could replicate his light heavyweight success at middleweight or not. Shutting down all the discussions, Craig started off his new chapter with a great win.
While he was a problem to deal with at 205 lbs, it seems like his movements were much sharper in a weight class down below. Not only did he keep up with Muniz from step to step, but Paul Craig was also the stronger fighter on the night. After the exciting first round, where both fighters had their moments, the Scottish fighter took over from the beginning of round 2.
Yet another finish for @PaulCraig 🚨
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
[ #UFCLondon | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/d5VivXqBtK
Andre Muniz is a sublime submission artist himself and holds 15 submissions. While Craig could not quite submit him, he did one better and finished the bout via TKO at the 4:40 minute mark of the round. The finish came when Craig managed to secure the top position and started hammering elbows one after another. With the win, Craig improved his record to 17-6-1.
Needless to say, fans online lost their minds seeing how amazing the performance was from Paul Craig. One fan on Twitter wrote, “PAUL CRAIG MASTERCLASS.” Another fan already wants to set up Paul’s next fight. They wrote, “We need to see Paul Craig vs Bo Nickal.” Another fan wrote, “His exposed MW as the worst division lmao.” One fan even declared it the best fight of the night, “Most enjoyable fight I’ve watched tonight.”
Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz: punching stats
Paul Craig has a very distinct fighting style and always looked to find a way to bring the bout to the ground. However, in this particular fight, Craig was not afraid to show off his striking skills either. According to UFC Stats, Craig landed a total of 54 total strikes and Muniz had 31 strikes in total. While Muniz landed only significant 24 strikes, Craig almost doubled it with 40 significant strikes of his own.
PAUL CRAIG ELBOWS FOR THE MIDDLWEIGHT DEBUT WIN #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/KDAQFzH9tO
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 22, 2023
Craig landed 48% of the significant attempted strikes and Muniz landed 60% of the significant strikes. However, It was the Bearjew who did the most damage with his elbows. While both fighters landed 2 takedowns each, Paul had more ground control with 2:56 minutes and Muniz had 1:47 minutes of control. So in terms of grappling, both fighters were equal. But, Muniz ultimately was overpowered by Craig and buckled under the pressure.
So what do you think of Paul Craig’s performance in the bout at UFC London? Let us know in the comments down below.