Paul Craig has named the legendary Michael Jordan and Sir Alex Ferguson as two of his sporting inspirations.
The UFC star, from Airdrie, was asked about his sporting inspiration and coaching inspiration on BT Sport’s Dream Dojo feature.
Craig selected the iconic basketball star Jordan and his fellow Scotsman Alex Ferguson as two of his heroes.
The 33-year-old believes Jordan’s mentality is unrivalled in sport and he pinpointed some similarities that he has with the American superstar.
“Michael Jordan was the guy,” Craig said. “I know there is the whole debate with LeBron James about who is better, who has more medals or more rings.
“But for me, Michael Jordan is mentally the greatest of all time in Basketball. I think looking at him and his attitude towards sport, how he held his team in high regard and how he might have been seen as aggressive or bullying but ultimately, it was to push them to the next level.
“I see that team being very similar to our team in the gym. Although MMA is very much a single person sport, up to that point[walking in the ring] it’s a team sport.
“I require all my training partners to pull together to work towards the greater good. In basketball terms that would be to win the championship and we are ultimately doing the same.
Craig selected former Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Ferguson as his coaching inspiration.
The 79-year-old is widely regarded as the best manager in history and Craig was intrigued about whether his coaching skills in football could be transferred to UFC.
He added: “Thinking about football and after reading his autobiography, it would be Sir Alex Ferguson.
"He’s Scottish, I like his mentality and I like how straight talking he is.
"We saw it when he kicked the boot and it hit David Beckham - I kind of like that.
“I like someone who points at people and makes them accountable. I think he would be an amazing person to work with and to see how he’d work in the world of MMA.
“Ultimately he’s a coach and it’s about management, it would be good to see how he could do that in MMA - it would be interesting.”
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