Rodolfo Bellato plans to make his name off Paul Craig win
UFC Fight Night 256’s Rodolfo Bellato spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his light heavyweight bout vs. Paul Craig on Saturday in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – Rodolfo Bellato warns Paul Craig that he’s no slouch on the ground ahead of UFC Fight Night 256.
Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) will get the biggest fight of his career on Saturday when he meets longtime veteran Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) in the light heavyweight co-main event at the UFC Apex (ESPN+).
Craig owns the second-most submission wins in 205-pound history, with his six finishes trailing only record holder Glover Teixeira, who has seven. He’s a proven threat on the ground with tap outs of current champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Jamahal Hill, but that doesn’t intimidate Bellato.
“The fight starts standing. It starts on our feet, and there’s a whole process for him to be able to take me down,” Bellato told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 256 media day. I know he’s got submission wins and he’s a jiu-jitsu guy, but you can’t forget that I’m also a black belt, so it’s not going to be that easy for him, either.”
Bellato, 29, said he is “honored” to get co-main event placement against someone of Craig’s credentials in just his third UFC appearance. He intends to make the most of it, and hopes the result will prove as a turning point in his surge toward the top of the division.
“It’s a great matchup for me,” Bellato said. “We can create a good strategy around him, a good game plan. He’s got a great name, so it’s all good for me. … He was ranked No. 8 in this division. He’s a guy that’s got a big name, so I’m so sure this is a fight that’s going to get me closer to the rankings and is going to get my name out there, too.”
