Unfortunate news has today surfaced that Paul “Redser” Redmond has received his marching orders from the UFC after a short stint with the promotion.
Redmond stepped up at very late notice to compete in Sweden in January against Mirsad Bektic and lost a unanimous decision after cutting an obscure amount of weight. After that he competed on the Glasgow card and suffered a knockout at the hands of Robert Whiteford who is a very tough opponent.
Many have kept their jobs for less and whilst its obviously devastating for Redmond, the future may not be too bleak for the Team Ryano fighter who has a host of options available to him across the European scene.
So with that in mind #WHOATV have come up with five potential opponents to welcome “Redser” back to the European scene.
Paddy Pimblett
Well this bout is probably the one I would like to see the most on this list and I think its a very intriguing bout for both Pimblett and Redmond. Both guys bring a high level of intensity to their fights and if this one hit the ground I would not know where to put my money. Redmond may not want to compete at Featherweight following his two fights at the weight and may wish to move back to Lightweight in his next bout, but should he want to fight one of Europe’s best 145lbers then look no further than “The Baddy”.
Ashleigh Grimshaw
Grimshaw poses another tough test for Redmond at Featherweight and himself is looking to bounce back after two tough fights. Grimshaw is a big Featherweight with a strong wrestling background and like Redmond holds a number of submission wins under his belt. Grimshaw fought to a no contest against BAMMA Featherweight Champion Tom Duquesnoy and since suffered a knockout loss at Phoenix Fight Nights but would almost certainly be a credible opponent for Redmond at Featherweight.
Alex Enlund
Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Alex Enlund definitely stacks up as another great opponent for Redmond. Another very strong grappler with a superb ground game, Enlund is currently riding a five fight win streak which includes four submission wins. Enlund is chomping at the bit to get back in there and stay as active as possible and so would almost certainly be willing to step in to fight someone with Redmond’s credentials.
Brad Wheeler
Wheeler won the WFS Lightweight Title in August, which marked the sixth win on the bounce for the “Crazy Kid”. Should Redmond choose to step back up to 155lbs I think a bout with Wheeler would be a very intriguing bout. Wheeler is often mistaken for being a jiu jitsu guy but in his recent bouts has proved just how skilled he is in the stand up game and would prove a great all round test for “Redser”.
Jack McGann
McGann may be coming off a loss against Damien Lapilus at BAMMA 23 but this kid has clearly got a big future in the sport and I think a fight against a big name like Redmond would only bring out the very best in him. McGann proved after his loss to Diakese that he would use it as a learning curve to bounce back and he done so in impressive fashion against Stringer and Grant. People may think that Redmond might be a step too far for McGann but its certainly a fight I would pay good money to see.