An Illegal Upkick Cut Short Craig’s Return Against Bellato
Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato fought to a no contest at UFC Atlanta on June 14, 2025. Their light heavyweight bout at State Farm Arena ended in the closing seconds of the first round after an accidental illegal upkick left Bellato unable to continue.
Bellato pressed while Craig sought the ground
Bellato began aggressively with wide punches as Craig operated near the fence and used kicks to manage the distance. A strong right hand from Bellato connected before Craig increasingly looked for takedowns.
Craig briefly completed a trip, but Bellato returned to his feet. A later attempt left Craig on his back, with Bellato above him delivering short strikes from half guard.
The foul ended the contest before the horn
From underneath, Craig threw an upkick that struck Bellato while he was grounded. The referee stopped the action, and the accidental foul resulted in a no-contest ruling.
The ending left neither fighter with a victory. It also prevented the scheduled three-round contest from developing beyond its opening grappling exchanges.
A postponed return produced another frustrating ending
The matchup had originally been scheduled for May before Bellato withdrew on medical grounds. Atlanta became the rescheduled meeting and Craig’s return to light heavyweight after competing at middleweight.
Craig later explained that the incident prompted him to study the rules more closely and complete a refereeing course. For the Atlanta record, however, the outcome remained a no contest rather than a knockout, submission or disqualification victory for either participant.
Sources
- UFC: June 14 Atlanta venue and weight classes
- Cageside Press: opening action, ground positions and accidental illegal upkick
- UFC: rescheduled bout, return to light heavyweight and Craig’s subsequent rules course
