PAUL ‘REDSER’ REDMOND made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship back in January but he wasn’t himself on the night.
It was the toughest fight of his career on the biggest stage of them all, so he could have done with more than two weeks to prepare. Not having to cut 33lbs in that short space of time would have helped too.
Ultimately it didn’t go Redmond’s way against Mirsad Bektic at UFC Stockholm. He displayed incredible resilience to last the distance with his highly-touted American opponent, but the extreme weight-cut had clearly taken its toll on his gas tank: “I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life when I woke up on the morning of the fight.”
In the circumstances it was a performance Redmond could be proud of, but that’s not how he sees it. For the Team Ryano fighter, a defeat isn’t good enough — irrespective of how much time you’ve had to prepare.
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Redmond had been knocking at the UFC’s door for a while so when the opportunity arose to replace the injured Alan Omer on two weeks’ notice, he wasn’t going to pass it up — despite never cutting as low as featherweight (146lbs) before. And in spite of the outcome, there are no regrets.
“I’d do the exact same thing. If it was the same scenario tomorrow I’d take it again,” Redmond told The42 ahead of tomorrow’s return to action against Robert Whiteford at UFC Fight Night 72 in Scotland.
“Good fighters go through their whole careers without ever getting a chance in the UFC. It was a big opportunity. The first one didn’t go my way but I’m here now and I’ve had a full camp going into this one, so it’s a good chance to show what I can really do.”
He might be only one fight into his career with the organisation, but Redmond believes his place on the UFC roster is at stake tomorrow at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena.
It’s not unusual for fighters to be cut following back-to-back losses, and although he has surely earned some leniency after taking a short-notice debut and performing courageously, Redmond is taking nothing for granted.
“I’ve seen other guys in that position being cut before so I think it is make or break for me,” said the former Cage Warriors contender. “I’m not thinking about a loss — I’m confident of getting the win — but I’m a realist at the same time. People seem to forget that the UFC is a business so if you’re not performing, you’re gone.”
His Scottish opponent may have home advantage, but Redmond is aiming to ensure that the UFC won’t have a decision to make regarding his future with the promotion. A first win in the octagon is the only way to guarantee that he’ll be back again.
Paul Redmond fights Robert Whiteford tomorrow (Saturday, 18 July) on the prelims at UFC Fight Night 72 in Glasgow. The bout will begin just after 4pm on UFCFightPass.com.
After cutting 33lbs in 14 days for his UFC debut, the real Redser returns this weekend
PAUL ‘REDSER’ REDMOND made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship back in January but he wasn’t himself on the night.
It was the toughest fight of his career on the biggest stage of them all, so he could have done with more than two weeks to prepare. Not having to cut 33lbs in that short space of time would have helped too.
Ultimately it didn’t go Redmond’s way against Mirsad Bektic at UFC Stockholm. He displayed incredible resilience to last the distance with his highly-touted American opponent, but the extreme weight-cut had clearly taken its toll on his gas tank: “I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life when I woke up on the morning of the fight.”
In the circumstances it was a performance Redmond could be proud of, but that’s not how he sees it. For the Team Ryano fighter, a defeat isn’t good enough — irrespective of how much time you’ve had to prepare.
Redmond had been knocking at the UFC’s door for a while so when the opportunity arose to replace the injured Alan Omer on two weeks’ notice, he wasn’t going to pass it up — despite never cutting as low as featherweight (146lbs) before. And in spite of the outcome, there are no regrets.
“I’d do the exact same thing. If it was the same scenario tomorrow I’d take it again,” Redmond told The42 ahead of tomorrow’s return to action against Robert Whiteford at UFC Fight Night 72 in Scotland.
“Good fighters go through their whole careers without ever getting a chance in the UFC. It was a big opportunity. The first one didn’t go my way but I’m here now and I’ve had a full camp going into this one, so it’s a good chance to show what I can really do.”
He might be only one fight into his career with the organisation, but Redmond believes his place on the UFC roster is at stake tomorrow at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena.
It’s not unusual for fighters to be cut following back-to-back losses, and although he has surely earned some leniency after taking a short-notice debut and performing courageously, Redmond is taking nothing for granted.
“I’ve seen other guys in that position being cut before so I think it is make or break for me,” said the former Cage Warriors contender. “I’m not thinking about a loss — I’m confident of getting the win — but I’m a realist at the same time. People seem to forget that the UFC is a business so if you’re not performing, you’re gone.”
His Scottish opponent may have home advantage, but Redmond is aiming to ensure that the UFC won’t have a decision to make regarding his future with the promotion. A first win in the octagon is the only way to guarantee that he’ll be back again.
Paul Redmond fights Robert Whiteford tomorrow (Saturday, 18 July) on the prelims at UFC Fight Night 72 in Glasgow. The bout will begin just after 4pm on UFCFightPass.com.
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