Written by Rodolfo Bellato | Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Former LFA champion Rodolfo Bellato hopes for a drama-free night in the cage when he co-headlines a UFC event for the first time Saturday as he faces Paul Craig at UFC Vegas 106.
“Trator” was signed by the UFC after two appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series and had to dig deep in his debut, surviving an onslaught before knocking out Ihor Potieria for a $50,000 bonus at UFC Austin in December 2023.
Just over a year later, with then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in his corner, Bellato was once again almost finished in the opening round, this time by Jimmy Crute. However, he survived to go the distance and walk home with a rare majority draw.
Bellato met UFC CEO Dana White backstage moments after the 15-minute war and said he was praised by the executive for “getting beat up but coming back.” At UFC Vegas 106, though, he’s aiming for a clean victory. If there’s blood spilled, make it Craig’s only.
“Every fight teaches us something,” Bellato told MMA Fighting. “Thank God I was able to see that it will never lack heart in me [laughs], but if it could be with a little bit less of emotion, that’s better. Every fighter dreams of being there, landing one punch, the guy goes down and you go out celebrating with your coaches [laughs].”
Craig returns to the light heavyweight division after a 1-3 trip to middleweight between 2023 and 2024, losing to Bo Nickal, Caio Borralho and Brendan Allen. He had previously left the 205-pound class after defeats to Johnny Walker and Volkan Oezdemir, so Bellato expects him to be under pressure.
“He’s not someone I expected to fight, but when it got booked, my coach and I said there was no better guy for us to fight right now,” Bellato said. “A great strategy, a style that matches up well with ours. It’s the perfect matchup for us. He’s a dangerous guy and deserves all respect, but I’m in a better moment than him, who’s coming off three losses.
“It’s a dangerous guy, he has a good ground game, but maybe it’s a style that is a bit predictable, and we’re able to study well and see holes that fit well with our game. I’m well-trained for this fight, I had a full camp this time. … He’s definitely feeling under pressure. He tried at [185], at [205], but I can’t let that interfere with my performance. I’ll go there and fight like any other fight, not thinking about my opponent. Go there and impose my game, you know?”
Craig makes his 20th walk to the UFC cage with a promotional record of 9-9-1, having beat future and former champions like Magomed Ankalaev, Jamahal Hill and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Despite Craig’s experience with elite fighters and all-time greats, Bellato expects the Scottish veteran to struggle with his well-rounded game.
“Most of his fights, except for his last one against Bo Nickal where he kept it on the feet for three rounds, he tries the takedown and pulls guard and tries to play on the ground at all costs,” Bellato said. “And since my fights had no significant ground work yet, I believe he’s thinking, ‘It’s going to be easier to go to the ground.’ But little does he know that I’m also a jiu-jitsu black belt and train that a lot. It won’t be easy for him if the fight goes to the ground.”
“I don’t want to make this a striker-versus-grappler type of fight either,” he continued. “No, I’m an MMA fighter, and I train everything. I’m ready for anything. Wherever the fight goes, I’m ready to finish it.”