Australia’s new UFC recruit Jim Crute has landed the opponent he wanted for his much anticipated debut later this year.
Victorian Crute, who has an 8-0 MMA record, will fight Scotsman Paul Craig on December 2 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
He watched fellow Australian and world-ranked light heavyweight Tyson Pedro score a first-round win over Craig last year.
“I like his style, I’ve got nothing but respect for Paul Craig, but I’ve wanted to fight him for a while,” Crute told AAP. “I said to my manager a few times ‘get the fight with Paul Craig, I just think that makes sense for me.’
“He’s very good at jiu-jitsu, there’s no question about that. He’s not going to go anywhere, he’s not going to quit just like me, so it’s going to be a good fight to showcase my skills.”
Crute isn’t fussed external expectations and hype are building around him, even before his UFC debut.
“The only pressure I put on myself is the pressure to perform and if I perform, I’ll show off and I’ll beat anyone,” Crute said. “I’m not in any rush, I’m only 22 years old.”
Crute already has an inkling of what to expect through training with UFC stalwarts Jake Matthews and Dan Kelly.
“They’ve helped me so much so it’s really cool to have their insight and the little things that they point out and help you with is really cool,” Crute said.
The main bouts for December 2 have still to be announced, but the card will also include a bout between two world ranked flyweights in Brisbane’s Ben Nguyen and Brazilian Wilson Reis.