22-fight UFC favorite announces retirement after brutal buzzer-beater knockout

UFC Paris has it all, bountiful knockouts, action-packed wars, and last but not least, a passing of the torch moment in the light heavyweight division.

Scotland's Paul Craig met with Modestas Bukauskas on the night's main card. 'Bearjew,' a 37-year-old veteran of 22 UFC fights, looked to break a four fight winless streak by knocking back his younger opponent.

Bukauskas had already conquered his demons. The Lithuanian-British fighter went 1-3 in the UFC and was cut from the promotion in 2021, only to return two fights later and rack up a 5-1 record in his second stint. Craig was the latest scalp added to his collection.

Modestas Bukauskas retires Paul Craig at UFC Paris

The opening frame was almost balanced, with Craig working his right roundhouse kick and keeping Bukauskas at range. Bukauskas stormed into range with blitzes, but didn't find much success, ultimately pushing Craig to the cage side and forcing the clinch.

Eventually Paul pulled guard, a patented move from the Scotsman, who has some of the most potent submission grappling in the division. Unfortunately for him, Bukauskas was wise to it, raining down ground-and-pound and smashing Craig with an elbow in the last-second to secure a buzzer-beater knockout.

Modestas Bukauskas with a HELLBOW to KO Paul Craig in the last second of the first-round #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/kO3q3Al0kN
— Steven Rae (@stevenrae_) September 6, 2025

Paul Craig retires

Craig let Bukauskas relish his victory, before announcing his retirement in his post-fight interview.

"The young eat the old, and I'm old. Thank you for the memories," Craig remarked in his post-fight interview.

THANK YOU BEARJEW 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🫡 #UFCParis

An absolute warrior, @PaulCraig announces his retirement 👏 pic.twitter.com/jsx5eoJkZc
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 6, 2025

Craig ends his UFC career with a 9-10-1 1NC record, with wins over Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill.

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