THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING Championship has added yet another Irishman to its roster.
Paul Redmond will make his debut for the promotion at the UFC on FOX 14 event at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm on Saturday, 24 January.
Redmond has been called up on short notice to face Mirsad Bektic in a featherweight bout in twelve days’ time, following the injury withdrawal of Bektic’s original opponent Alan Omer.
Coming less than a week after the announcement of Joseph Duffy’s signing, Redmond has also inked a multi-fight deal to become the eighth Irish fighter currently competing in the UFC.
The bout against Bektic will also be Paul Redmond’s debut in the featherweight division, as he makes the cut down from lightweight for the first time in his career.
“The opportunity to fight in the UFC is something I’ve been working towards for a while, and now that it’s come along I can’t wait to get in there and show what I can do,” Redmond told TheScore.ie.
“I was offered the opportunity to step in at late notice a few days ago and I jumped at it. I didn’t even find out who the opponent was until the next morning.
“I believe I can compete at the highest level so opponents don’t matter to me. I know I’m ready for this so I’ll get in there with any of them.”
A highly-regarded undefeated prospect with an 8-0 record, 23-year-old Bektic fights out of American Top Team in Florida and overcame Chas Skelly by majority decision last April in his only UFC outing to date.
Redmond, 28, has earned himself a reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters on the European circuit since starting an eight-fight spell with Cage Warriors Fighting Championship in June 2012.
Redmond put together a 7-1 record with CWFC and became renowned for an audacious submission offence, which has grabbed the attention of UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
The Donaghmede athlete will join fellow Irishman and Team Ryano colleague Neil Seery on the Stockholm card, which the UFC are billing as their biggest ever event in Europe.
It will be a tough two weeks for ‘Redser’ as he makes the necessary sacrifices to bring his weight down to 146lbs for the bout, but it will certainly be worth it when he walks out for his UFC debut in a 30,000-capacity football stadium.
The UFC’s return to Sweden on 24 January will be headlined by the meeting of light-heavyweight title contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson.
First published at 15.58
