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Back in March 2018, Paul Craig pulled off a massive upset by handing surging light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev the solitary loss of his entire career thus far. At the time, Ankalaev was making his much-anticipated UFC debut as a highly-rated prospect from Makhachkala, Russia.
Ankalaev seemed to be cruising to a dominant victory in his octagon debut, but his Scottish opponent had other ideas. With just one second remaining in the third and final round of the fight, Craig forced the Russian to tap to a vicious triangle choke submission, registering the latest finish in UFC history.
Looking back at the fight where he quite literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, Craig admits he was thoroughly dominated for the entirety of the fight apart from the final seconds. The 34-year-old recalled that at the time, beating Ankalaev was crucial for him to avoid a sack from the UFC, having previously gone 1-2 in the promotion.
During an interaction with MMA on Point, 'Bearjew' said:
"I remember just walking out thinking like, 'This is it, this is my UFC career over.' And I literally took a beating for three rounds and I remember that, like he held my chin, he broke my ribs, I heard the crack, I could hear John Gooden, Dan Hardy and it was pretty much come at an end and I fired up that triangle and it resulted in the latest submission in UFC history and I stood up and I was like, 'I've just won.'"
Check out Paul Craig's interview with MMA on Point below:
How have Paul Craig and Magomed Ankalaev's careers progressed since their 2018 encounter?
Since his loss to Paul Craig, Magomed Ankalaev has gone on an incredible eight-fight winning streak inside the octagon. His most recent win came by way of a unanimous decision against Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC Vegas 50 on March 12.
Currently ranked sixth in the light heavyweight division, Ankalaev will be eyeing the winner of the upcoming Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka title bout.
Meanwhile, Paul Craig is set to take on Nikita Krylov in the main card opening encounter of UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall at the O2 Arena in London this Saturday, March 19. The Scottish fighter is currently undefeated in his last five fights and is ranked 11 in the light heavyweight division.
