Modestas Bukauskas sent Paul Craig into retirement with a brutal knockout on the main card of UFC Fight Night 258.
At Accor Arena in Paris, France, Bukauskas (19-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) brought the fight to Craig (17-10-1 MMA, 9-10-1 UFC) throughout the opening round. Craig was in a few shaky spots throughout, but managed to recover to stay in the fight. However, in the closing sequence, Bukauskas rained down heavy ground and pound, including a vicious elbow right before the horn.
Bukauskas returned to his feet, but Craig did not, and the referee waved the fight off at the conclusion of the round.
Check out video of the finish below (via X):
After the fight, Bukauskas called for a shot at a top 15 opponent as he continues to impress in his second UFC stint, improving to 6-1 with stoppages in three of his last four.
On the other side, however, Craig decided to call it a career. The 37-year-old walks away with nine UFC wins all by stoppage, earning bonuses for all but one.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 258 results:
- Modestas Bukauskas def. Paul Craig via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 5:00
- Mason Jones def. Bolaji Oki via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 3:18
- Axel Sola def. Rhys McKee via TKO (body shot) – Round 3, 2:02
- William Gomis def. Robert Ruchala via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Oumar Sy def. Brendson Ribeiro via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:42
- Ante Delija def. Marcin Tybura via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:03
- Kaue Fernandes def. Harry Hardwick via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 3:21
- Sam Patterson def. Trey Waters via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:01
- Robert Bryczek def. Brad Tavares via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:43
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Andreas Gustafsson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
- Sam Hughes def. Shauna Bannon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:58
