LONDON – Scottish light heavyweight Paul Craig walked away from UFC Fight Night 127 with an improbable last-second submission win and a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, but he admitted he might still end up being cut from the UFC.

“I don’t really know if I’ve done enough to get my contract renewed,” he said after his stunning victory over Magomed Ankalaev (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC). “We never know. The UFC have got this massive roster, and if I was Dana White and I was watching that, I’d be like, ‘Ah, mate. You’re getting no contract. You can fight for somebody else.’

“I’m being genuinely serious. I’m not gonna lie to you and sugar-coat this. But you know what? In another six months, and I’ll be better again. And another six months again, and I’ll be better again. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to get better. I’ve only been doing this sport for five years. There are guys who have dedicated their whole lives to this.”

Craig (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) found himself struggling for the majority of his three-round battle with the previously undefeated Russian, as he struggled to land consistently with his strikes and found himself being out-grappled on the mat. But, with the final seconds of the fight ebbing away, Craig went for broke and struck paydirt.

Trapped on the mat and stuck against the fence, Craig heard the clapper to signal the final 10 seconds of the contest and threw up his legs. It was a last-gasp attempt to steal victory from the jaws of defeat, and when his legs successfully went around the back of Ankalaev’s neck, Craig locked up a triangle-choke and squeezed.

To the amazement of everybody watching, Ankalaev tapped out a split-second before the horn sounded to end the fight. It was one of the most remarkable, unexpected turnarounds imaginable, and it left Craig understandably elated.

“I heard that wee chap (with the clapper) and I just thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’” Craig said. “Fire up a triangle, see what happens. And as my coach says, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

The always jovial Scot was still buzzing with excitement backstage as he joked about the adversity he had to endure before eventually locking up his winning submission.

“I don’t know if you saw me take a big body shot,” Craig said. “But after that I was like ‘Aaaah, goddamn. Please help me!’ I had to just dig deep. It’s hard when you’re up against a guy who’s very, very strong. He’s got some sort of Russian strength about him – I don’t know what they feed them up in Russia, but he’s solid.

“I managed to get two takedowns, but when you’re lying and you’ve been on your back for 10, 15 minutes, it feels like a lifetime, and it’s really, really hard to dig deep.”

And the Coatbridge native, who improved his record to 10-2 and handed Ankalaev his first career defeat, said his jiu-jitsu was always in his back pocket in case he needed it to bail him out of trouble.

“I’ve got good jiu-jitsu,” Craig said. “We’ve seen that before through BAMMA to the UFC (and) my first debut. My jiu-jitsu is my bread and butter. I’m always trying to work on my stand-up. I know I’m not a great striker. I’m not gonna lie to you and say, ‘You seen my striking, big fella? You’d better watch it!’ I’m good, but it’s hard to improve.”

Craig revealed what goes through the mind of a fighter who’s on the receiving end during a fight, telling reporters that his motivation came from thinking about his family and the sacrifices he’d made to step into the octagon.

“You’ve got a lot of time in that cage,” Craig said. “It’s 15 minutes, and the only person there is you and your thoughts. Things run through your head. I’m thinking about my family. I’m thinking: ‘Paul, is this what you want? Do you want this?’

“But I just kept thinking about my daughters and how much I’ve taken from them, time with my family, to go into the gym and train. Freezing cold, raining, you name it, I’m in that gym. It’s a horrible existence. Fighting in the UFC is hard, and the people that suffer are your family. But you know what makes it wee bit better? We just got a win, and we just got a submission win. I’m over the moon, man.”

Asked when he’d like to step back into the octagon – contract permitting – Craig said he’d love a quick turnaround and a spot at UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool on May 27.

“Liverpool’s just around the corner, (and) my face isn’t too bad. I wasn’t knocked out. I’ve no injuries. Why not?”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Events section of the site.