Paul Craig weighs in on whether Rodolfo Bellato faked being knocked out by illegal upkick at UFC Atlanta: "We're all fighters"

Paul Craig was hoping to secure a much needed victory against Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Atlanta on June 14. Having suffered three consecutive defeats at middleweight, the Scotsman opted to return to light heavyweight to help turn the momentum of his career around.

However, his clash with Bellato was shrouded in controversy after Craig landed an up-kick on his opponent that left the Brazilian unable to continue fighting. 'Bearjew' was lying on his back and believed his opponent to be standing up, and threw the kick that struck his opponent's neck and head. As Bellato fell to the ground he appealed to the referee for a foul, before appearing to lose consciousness.

Given Paul Craig's accidental foul, the fight was ruled as a no-contest instead of a disqualification. But speculation about whether or not Bellato was faking being knocked out has begun to circle the MMA world.

During the Scotsman's post-fight media scrum, he was asked whether he believed Bellato to be as hurt as he appeared. The 37-year old said:

"In the heat of the moment, I thought he was standing up so I threw my axe-kick, looking to land a heavy up-kick to his face. That was my intention... A few people have messaged me regarding this and they're saying that it looked a bit flop-ish, like he was maybe hamming it up. I don't want to think any fighter is looking for an easy way out in this sport. We're all fighters, we're all in the UFC, the pinnacle of our careers."

He continued:

"But I can see where people are looking at it and thinking it looks a bit flop-ish, like he's maybe taking a dive. I don't want to think that, but I'll need to watch it back. It's raw at the moment."

Check out Paul Craig's comments below: