Athletes
Rodolfo Bellato Aiming For A Perfect Peformance
Light Heavyweight Enters His Second Fight Of 2025 With Hopes Of Locking Up A Finish Over Scotland’s Paul Craig
Editor's Note: This article first appeared on May 16. Bellato's fight vs Paul Craig has since been rescheduled for UFC Atlanta Saturday, June 14.
As Rodolfo Bellato enters his second fight of 2025, he is feeling good about where he’s at physically after having spent 2024 on the sidelines due to some health problems.
“I had a health problem last year, an inflammation of my kidneys, and I was passing blood in my urine for over a month,” Bellato said. “Doctors couldn't figure out what was going on, so I took a little minute and obviously, I couldn't fight, I couldn't train, so I had to lay back for a bit.”
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His first bout of the year was back in February in Sydney, where he faced Australia’s Jimmy Crute. The bout ended in a draw, and although sometimes that may not be the best outcome for an athlete, the Brazilian was content with the result, given how he was able to bounce back from a rough first round.
“I actually think it was a fair result last time,” Bellato said. “I lost the first round 10-8 and then I won both of the other rounds. I don't think it was necessarily a mistake. It was a fair decision.”
Now, the light heavyweight turns his sights to Scotland’s Paul Craig, as the two are set to meet in Saturday’s co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales at UFC APEX. After losing his last three fights at middleweight, “BearJew” returns to the 205-pound division looking to get things back on track.
And for Bellato, as he enters only his third UFC fight, being able to face someone like Craig, who has been in the UFC since 2016, is a big task that he is eager to accept.
“I think it's a great fight,” Bellato said. “Paul Craig is a great name in the organization. I think it's going to be really a watershed moment for my career. Even though he's not having the best run right now, he's still a big name and I believe that name is going to put me higher up in the rankings in the division.”
This fight could be one that ends inside the distance, as all but one of Bellato’s wins have come by way of finish, with Craig securing each of his victories before the final horn. Thirteen of Craig’s 17 wins have ended by submission, while Bellato has seven of 12 ending by knockout.
The Brazilian believes he’ll be able to find the win by any means necessary.
“I think it shows him that I'm a guy that can fight on the feet and on the ground; wherever the fight goes, I'm prepared,” Bellato said.
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Despite the accolades that Craig brings to the matchup should the fight go to the mat, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum is confident in his preparation and gameplan.
“It’s MMA, so the fight always starts on the feet, and it'll be some time by the time that he's able to even go in and try to take me down,” Bellato said. “We'll see how the fight goes, but it's MMA. Anything can happen.”
No performance is ever perfect, but when he visualizes what one would look like against Craig on Saturday night, the answer is simple. A knockout as quick as possible. Now that would be a perfect performance, and one that would open the door for Bellato to get back into action sooner rather than later. After spending 2024 on the sidelines, “Trator” wants nothing more than to be active, as he aims to make a name for himself in the light heavyweight division.
“I hope to fight at least one more time,” Bellato said. “I want to remain really active and by the end of the year, I need to be at least in the top 15, so let's go.”
UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley took place live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!