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| Photo Courtesy Of Cage Warriors. |
In an age where most fans have no grasp of the MMA world beyond what is shown on ZUFFA or Bellator programming, I have decided to champion the cause of the unsung yet equally talented fighters that are (or should be) on the verge of signing major contracts. This series is called The Best of the Rest.
The next entry in this features one of the most vicious submission artists on the European fight circuit, lightweight Paul “Redser” Redmond. Redser is 8-3 and riding a five-fight winning streak in the illustrious Cage Warriors promotion. Of his 5 victories, none have gone past the second round. So what separates Paul Redmond from the rest of the burgeoning mixed martial arts talent in Europe?
Paul Redmond has two great passions in life: his first is music, and his second is MMA; he has dedicated his life to becoming the best possible version of himself in each martial arts discipline. He began his journey into Mixed Martial Arts under Rodrigo Medeiros black belt Andy Ryan at his famed Ryano MMA academy in Dublin. Paul, a native of Donaghmede, lives just a stone’s throw away from Team Ryano, and is notorious for his training and work ethic.
On June 2, 2012, Paul Redmond made his debut for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
against the ever tough Yuri Malko, and in that bout Redmond gave the fans their first taste of what thus far has been one of the most exciting Cage Warriors runs in recent history. He ended that fight via TKO, and he followed that up in his next bout against Lewis Long with a beautiful neck crank.
His fight with Ryan Roddy is where Redmond first caught the attention of members of the mainstream Irish media. After a back and forth first round, the devastating Dubliner came out like a man possessed in the second, and after taking down Roddy, he rolled for a toe hold so beautiful that it was featured on AXS TV’s Inside MMA.
Following his victory against Roddy, Redmond appeared in the cage two more times this year: firstly, he dominated en route to a stoppage against Alexei Roberts in March, and in June in Dublin, he again impressed by submitting Marc Allen with his patented toe hold.
Skillswise, Redser is like an Irish Imanari — his ground game is ruthless, and in particular he is known for his aggressive style. When most fighters look to secure a base, Redmond is jumping on low percentage submission attempts. But this is what makes Redmond such a fan favorite, his willingness to pursue the finish has enamored him with fight fans.
While many point to Redmond’s submission game, a highly underrated facet of his skills is his wrestling. Redsers’ wrestling really sets him apart from the masses in the UK fight scene, as it’s his wrestling and scrambling skills which ensure that he is in control of where the fight takes place and is able to implement his game plan to a tee.
In the standup Redmond is comfortable also, but he is far more suited to dominating on top at this point of his career.
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| Photo Courtesy Of Cage Warriors. |
I’ve followed the UK fight scene for a long time, and honestly I find it hard to think of a submission artist quite as exciting as Redmond. I believe he is 2 or 3 fights away from taking the Cage Warriors Lightweight Title, then I believe his development would be best warranted by sticking with Cage Warriors Fighting Championships for another year or two.
I strongly believe Paul Redmond is destined for great things, and I believe that one day we will see Redmond take the walk to the Octagon in the O2 arena in Dublin as he debuts for the UFC in his hometown.
