First I’ll take out Ankalaev, then I’m going after Mickey...

Craig promises daughters Disney trip to make up for his latest UFC fight camp

Airdrie UFC fighter Paul‘Bearjew’ Craig has set his goal on taking his daughters on a Disney adventure as he prepares for a fairytale fight night in London.

The light-heavyweight will compete at the O2 Arena against knock-out artist Magomed Ankalaev next month.

He is targeting a win against his Russian rival for his daughters Millie, 11, and Maia, 3, before he takes them on a magical trip to Disneyland in California.

“My first goal is to win the fight but after that I am looking to do something for my family,”he told the Advertiser.

“With back-to-back fight camps, it’s my girls who miss out. It forces

you to spend time away from them.

“So after the fight, I want to do something nice for them and take them away to Disneyland.

“It’s them that suffer because of me being in the UFC and going over to America, or being in the gym every day. I want to do something for them. They are both young so it will be good when they are a bit older and can look back and see me associated with the massive UFC brand.”

The Scottish Hit Squad fighter is looking to bounce back after two losses at UFC209 and UFC Fight Night Glasgow. He has stripped back the training programme to a similar level of when he was competing in British Mixed Martial Arts company BAMMA.

The 30-year-old said:“Preparing for a fight is like coming up with a recipe. You add a bit and take away a bit. You add your onions and garlic and you try to get the right mix.

“Last year wasn’t a great year for me in the UFC. I think we added far too much of some things and didn’t concentrate on others.

“We didn’t get the balance right. We have went back to the drawing board and stripped it right back to basics now.”

● Tickets to UFC FIGHT NIGHT® LONDON on March 17 are now on general sale via AXS and Ticketmaster