UFC Fight Night 127 results: Paul Craig scores miracle submission of Magomed Ankalaev with one tick left

LONDON – Paul Craig was one second away from his third-straight UFC loss before pulling off an incredible submission of UFC newcomer Magomed Ankalaev.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 127 event at The O2 in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

After starting at range, Craig opened with a kick to the body, though Ankalaev quickly answered with the same. Another Ankalaev kick to the body seemed to stun his opponent, and he rushed forward to clinch. Once there, Craig landed a knee to the groin, leading to a brief break in the action.

On the restart, Ankalaev pressed forward again, landing a nice left hand after just avoiding a big high kick from his foe. Craig rushed forward for a takedown, but Ankalaev defended well, until an adjusted effort from his opponent brought the action to the floor. Ankalaev quickly worked to a seated position and was able to take the top after pulling free from a missed guillotine attempt. Ankalaev postured for a bit and then pushed to mount, where he punched away until the bell.

Ankalaev was the aggressor in the second, missing on a big overhand right but landing with a sharp left hand just after. Craig leaned heavily on kicks for his attacks before changing levels and looking for a takedown. Ankalaev again defended well and landed a few powerful hooks as he pulled free from the clinch.

Shortly after, Craig did get a clean takedown, though Ankalaev reversed the position shortly after. Working quickly to side control, Ankalaev grinded away from top position, remaining there until the bell.

Craig came out swinging in the third, but it backfired, with Ankalaev landing a high kick that rocked his opponent. Craig desperately wanted a takedown, but Ankalaev remained out of reach and forced his opponent back to the feet. Ankalaev was patient in his attack, picking his shots as they resumed in the standup department. The left hand found a home repeatedly, and Craig was hesitant to engage. Craig came up short on another takedown, and Ankalaev continued to punish him.

A wobbly Craig missed a spinning strike and toppled to the canvas, where Ankalaev quickly followed and landed a few knees to the body before settling into his opponent’s guard. Craig did well to slow things down underneath, and then the unthinkable happened – with the final ticks winding off the clock, he locked up a triangle choke and earned a miraculous submission win, scoring a tap in the bout’s final second.

“Did you hear those fans? It didn’t go my way in Glasgow last time, so to be able to get that finish for the Scottish fans tonight was something special,” Craig said. “Listen, people say the Irish fans are the best, but the Scottish fans are so loud and so supportive. To come back after two losses and get that finish, it just means so much. My coach jumped into the octagon and said I had finished it with only seconds to spare. Now I’m going to take my kids to Disneyland and give them something special to make up for all the time I spend training and preparing.”

Craig (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) snaps a two-fight losing streak with the comeback win, while Ankalaev (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loses for the first time as a pro.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 127 results include:

• Paul Craig def. Magomed Ankalaev via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:59
• Kajan Johnson def. Stevie Ray via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Dmitriy Sosnovskiy def. Mark Godbeer via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:29

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Events section of the site.