Five Irish fighters that could sign for the UFC by the next Dublin card

by Alex Dillon @_alexdillon_

On 19th July 2014, the UFC took its Fight Night show back to Dublin for the first time in over 5 years. Aided with the rise of Dublin’s own Conor McGregor the event sold out within 3 minutes of going on sale and in the end included 5 Irish fighters in total. With an unforgettable atmosphere, all of the Irish fighters on the card picked up great victories and really put Ireland on the MMA map.

The question now is, which fighters could potentially be signed up by the next time the UFC visit Ireland? With this presumably being next July, we look at the five potential prospect’s Irish MMA has to offer.

Joseph Duffy (10-1)

Joseph Duffy (pictured), the most known fighter out of the five in this article, Duffy is notoriously known for submitting Conor McGregor in his early days as well as Norman Parke which is something the UFC could easily market to fans wherever Duffy could possibly debut never mind Ireland. Pretty impressive but aside from these two massive victories, he actually has a very good MMA record. He hasn’t fought since a loss in October 2011 at Cage Warriors and pursued a career in pro boxing but he’s back at Cage Warriors 70 next month in Dublin and you better believe it all eyes will be on him. Out of his 10 wins, 7 are by submission and with such a finishing pedigree, this makes Duffy a very likely signee for the UFC in the near future if he gets back to winning ways.

Tommy Quinn (6-1)

Welterweight Tommy Quinn currently fights under the Cage Warriors show and has racked up an impressive record so far in his pro MMA career. Currently riding a 2 fight win streak in Cage Warriors, it’s hard not to see Quinn as a potential future UFC fighter down the line. With his only loss coming two years against well known Jack Mason, Quinn bounced back by defeating SBGi prospect Philip Mulpeter and followed that up by Knocking out Dan Hope in his last outing at Cage Warriors. Quinn’s popularity with Irish fans seems to be growing and surely this will aid a possible UFC contract if he continues to impress in the cage.

Paul Redmond (9-4)

Paul Redmond is a well known lightweight on the European MMA scene having fought numerous times for Cage Warriors holding a 6-1 record with the promotion which has turned him into one of Ireland’s hottest prospects. Training out of Team Ryano MMA in Dublin alongside team mate and UFC flyweight Neil Seery, Redmond looks to further cement his status in the pro ranks next month at Cage Warriors 70 as he takes on Michael Doyle at the Helix. Redmond has finished all but one of his wins which easily makes him a marketable fighter and you’d think if he finishes Doyle next month, the UFC is on the horizon in the near future.

Karl Moore (4-0)

Fairly new on the pro MMA scene is Karl Moore but nonetheless he’s a fighter worth looking out for judging by his first four bouts as a pro. He has so far finished all of his pro fights (1 KO, 3 Subs) with his last being a KO victory back at Cage Warriors 62. Moore also fights next month at Cage Warriors 70 in Dublin and it will be interesting to see if the Light Heavyweight man from Fight Academy Ireland can continue his impressive winning streak. With an unblemished record one would think that if Moore keeps finishing opponents it’s only a matter of time before the UFC take notice of such an entertaining fighter.

Damien Rooney (10-3-1)

Flyweight Rooney, currently fights out of Team Torres MMA and is one of many stand out Irish flyweights along with Paddy Holohan and Neil Seery of whom he has both faced and subsequently lost to. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Rooney as they are both clearly UFC calibre fighters and both fights took place 2 and 4 years ago respectively. Like most of the fighters mentioned in this article, Rooney also has an excellent finishing rate having only gone to the judges’ score cards once in his 10 victories. This certainly makes Rooney a possible candidate for a future crack in the UFC should he keep up his impressive performances at Cage Warriors and we may well see him in the octagon in the not too distant future.

All of these fighters have shown so far in their careers that they are quite possibly borderline to making the UFC grade and could be 1 or 2 wins away from that dream phone call. The majority have finishes galore on their records which obviously makes them a hit with fans and it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up their performances so far. With all fighting under Cage Warriors it’s more than likely that the UFC will eventually spot them if they continue to impress.

Paul Redmond 'Neil is on Another Level to When They Last Fought'

Paul Redmond 'Neil is on Another Level to When They Last Fought'

by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Copyright Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

It's been 5 years in the making but the UFC finally returns to Dublin for what promises to be a memorable night for all the fans in attendance, but none more so than the 4 Irish fighters on the card.

While all the talk will be about Conor McGregor, one of those fighters, Neil Seery, faces one of the toughest challenges in his career in the form of Phil Harris, an English flyweight who already has a win over Seery when the two previously meet in 2010.

Fighting out of Team Ryano MMA in Dublin, 34-year old Seery, a former Cage Warriors flyweight champion was given a shot in the UFC when Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled bout with Brad Pickett in March. After a huge social media campaign to give Seery the fight against Pickett, Seery got the call and stepped in on late notice to face the British veteran. Seery lost his bout to Pickett by unanimous decision but earned praise from UFC president Dana White for his game performance.

Seery will now fight for the first time in The UFC with a full camp under his belt when he faces Phil Harris at The O2 in Dublin, July 19th and noted Cage Warriors featherweight and Team Ryano MMA teammate Paul Redmond says Seery has made the most of his camp:

'Camp's gone great for him. He's firing on all cylinders and peaking just at the right time. [He's] probably the sharpest I've ever seen him.'

A pro since 2005, Seery first fought Phil Harris at Bamma 3 back in 2010 losing by unanimous decision. Since the lost the Harris, Seery has put together a 6-2 record since the fight with 4 wins inside the distance, including a devastating body kick KO over Paul Marin. Harris on the other hand is 3-2 with 1 NC, and will need to win this bout to save his UFC career. Seery however, has a different plan in mind, wants to celebrate in front of his friends, family and countrymen but more importantly he will want to revenge his loss to Harris, and Redmond sees it coming:

'I think fighting in Dublin in The O2 is gonna be something special for him and all the Irish. Neil really is on another level to the last time they fought. My predictions Seery by KO, 1st / 2nd round all day.'

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night Dublin

Damien Brown vs Paul Redmond Added to Cage Warriors 65

Paul Redmond returns to action at Cage Warriors 65

by Chris Houten @mrhouts

Photo Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Australia's Damien Brown will meet Irish fan favourite Paul Redmond at Cage Warriors 65.

Cage Warriors 65 takes place March 1 at The Helix in Dublin Ireland. It is not known if Brown vs Redmond will feature on the main card of Cage Warriors 65 or the under card.

Damien Brown hopes to get back to amongst the wins having been edged out by Julien Boussuge via decision at CWFC 61 in Amman in his promotional debut.

Brown who joined Australian compatriot Ben Alloway in signing a 5 fight exclusive deal with Cage Warriors in late 2013 said:

“I’m looking forward to giving the Cage Warriors fans in Ireland what they want to see, but it won’t be in the hands of the judges this time as I’m coming to finish it.”

27-year old Paul Redmond (8-4) fights for Cage Warriors for the seventh time at Cage Warriors 65.

Making his Cage Warriors debut at Cage Warriors 47, the Team Ryano fighter put together a 5 fight win streak before losing by submission to rising Polish fighter Mateusz Theodorczuk.

The Irishman who has taken all 8 of his victories inside the distance says he’s eager to make amends and get back to winning ways:

“After my last performance I just want to get back in there again. I was back in the gym two days later fixing everything in my game, so I can’t wait for this fight now.”

With the addition of Brown vs Redmond, Cage Warriors 65 includes:

John Maguire vs. Saul Rogers
Benny Alloway vs. Jack Mason
Alex Enlund vs. Artem Lobov
Bryan Creighton vs. Damien Rooney
Damien Brown vs. Paul Redmond
Lew Long vs. Philip Mulpeter
Paddy Pimblett vs. Martin Sheridan
Lee Caers vs. Merv Mulholland
Myles Price vs. Peter Queally

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Cage Warriors 65

CWFC Fight Night 9 Moves to The King Hussein Boxing Arena in Jordan

CWFC Fight Night 9 Moves to Jordan

photo: cagewarriors.com

CWFC Fight Night 9, which is set for Friday, 25 October 2013, will now take place at the King Hussein Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan.

The event had originally been scheduled for Isa Town in Bahrain on the same date, but several logistical issues have caused CWFC officials to decide on a change of destination for the promotion’s eleventh event of 2013.

“We were extremely excited about bringing Cage Warriors back to Bahrain again but a few logistical problems have unfortunately arisen, which meant that staging the event to Cage Warriors’ usual high standards wasn’t going to be possible,” said Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan.

“As a result, rather than cancelling the event entirely and leaving our athletes on the card without fights to prepare for, we’ve been able to organise - despite the short notice - for CWFC Fight Night 9 to take place in Jordan instead.

“We’ve had some fantastic shows there already and this one will be no different. I want to offer my apologies to the Cage Warriors fans in Bahrain but we’ll do everything we can to get back there as early as possible in 2014.”

CWFC Fight Night 9 will be Cage Warriors Fighting Championship’s fifth event in Amman, the first of which was back in June 2011.

The promotion’s most recent event in the Jordanian capital, CWFC Fight Night 7 in September of last year, saw Chris Fields defeat Pavel Kusch in the final of CWFC middleweight title tournament, as well as victories for CWFC featherweight champion Jim Alers and current UFC star Leo Santos.

Next month’s event will feature a host of Cage Warriors’ top names, such as Bruno Carvalho, Gael Grimaud, Che Mills, Faycal Hucin, Paul Redmond and many more.

Paul Redmond is in no Rush for the Future

Paul Redmond is in no Rush for the Future
by Tom Rooney - @oldmanrooney

Unbeaten in his Cage Warriors career to date, Irish lightweight Paul ‘Redser’ Redmond is rapidly distinguishing himself as one of Europe’s best, but as he tells Tom Rooney, he never thinks too far ahead.

At Cage Warriors 55 in front of a home town crowd in the Helix, Dublin, Paul Redmond (8-3) submitted Marc Allen via toe hold to win his fifth consecutive fight almost a year to the day since his promotional debut. The 26-year-old Team Ryano MMA export was at the epee-centre of what proved a banner night for Irish MMA, with Cathal Pendred taking out Che Mills in the main event and teammate Neil Seery submitting Mikael Silander to capture the inaugural fly-weight title in the penultimate bout.

Redmond was, of course, delighted to be part of such a momentous event, but it was the convenience of fighting in Ireland that made it all the more sweet. “It was a great night for everyone involved in Irish MMA, I like fighting in Dublin; get to sleep in my own bed, cut weight in my own house and there’s no dehydrating sitting on a plane for hours.”

This sort of lese fare attitude is one of the most striking aspects of the genial Dubliner’s personality. Hardly surprising for a guy that only got into MMA five years ago to shed some extra beer weight. The Team Ryano facility is only a stone’s throw from his home, and he has been under the tutelage of Head Coach/Founder Andy Ryan from day one ,a man for who he carries the upmost respect.

“Andy’s been in the sport all his life, over 30 years. Himself and John Kavanagh were the first MMA guys on the scene in Ireland. I don’t think Andy gets the credit he deserves in Irish MMA. You can ask him anything and if he can’t find it on the spot he’ll go and find out for you. The way he works is brilliant.”

Redmond is both refreshingly humble and admirably cerebral in his approach to fighting, as well as being cognisant of the detrimental effect ego can have on  one’s mind-set.

“I was chuffed when Chris Fields said to me on the MMA Review (Irish podcast) that I’m an intellectual fighter. Some people like to bite down on the gum shield and swing for the fences, why?
“ It’s not a fight in the street, it’s a sport. There’s ways of winning, if I’m better than a guy somewhere, I’m going to take advantage of it. I have no problems standing up with anybody, it’s just in some fights, like the Lewis Long fight last year, he’s a world champion in Muay Thai, so I’m not going to stand up with him because I’m not there yet.”

Redser was on a two-fight losing streak prior to signing with Cage Warriors, the second of which was at the hands of Tom Maguire back in March 2012, compelling him to go back to the drawing board and augment his training, particularly in strength and conditioning.

“I got beaten fair and square by Tom Maguire. Wasn’t my night, I got caught in a crucifix late in the first round and just got hammered. I hooked up with Dave McConkey from South Dublin Strength and Conditioning then, I had been doing horrible weight cuts. Since then I’ve been having easy cuts and I feel much stronger, my technique has got better ,too.  It’s just a combination of everything.”

Since then not only is he unbeaten, but yet to go the distance . Strikingly, all his Cage Warrior fights have ended in the second round, is there something he’s not telling us?

“I don’t know, things just come off in the second round. I try to put fellas away in the first, I seem to come to life in the second and third, I feel like my cardio is that bit higher. Sometimes in fights I need to be woken up with a punch or two. I’ll have to put money on myself in the next fight.”

With little white smoke emanating from Cage Warriors regarding how they plan to fill the lightweight title vacated by Connor McGregor, it’s difficult to know who is or isn’t in the mix, which doesn’t concern Redser in the slightest.

“I never read too much into it, to be honest. I fight because I enjoy it, obviously if belts come I’ll take them, but it’s not about anyone else.”

 As it stands Redmond has no date or opponent for his next fight, but having fought five times in the space of a year, he’d be forgiven for taking a step back from the cage. “I feel great. It’s not about racking up the numbers, if the call comes in and as long as I’m not injured I’ll take the fight, you’ve got to do it when you can. As soon as I hear something I’ll get cracking.”

Pendred vs Mills now a 3 round non title fight after Mills misses weight

Cage Warriors 55 weigh in results

Cathal Pendred and Che Mills (Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors)

Cathal Pendred’s CWFC welterweight title will no longer be on the line at Cage Warriors 55 after Che Mills failed to make weight this afternoon. The pair were scheduled to do battle for Pendred’s belt in tomorrow evening’s main event at The Helix in Dublin.
However, while the fight will still go ahead over three rounds instead of five, Mills’ failure to make the contracted weight means the strap unfortunately won’t be at stake. Mills will also surrender 25 percent of his purse to Pendred.

Mills later took to twitter to apologise "Firstly I must apologise to @CageWarriors & the fans. Nobody to blame but myself & making no excuses." He then went on to say "I just hope that everyone still tunes in to cagewarriors.tv". Mills finished by saying "It is gunna be a war which I will WIN no doubt about it!"

Elsewhere, there were no problems for Neil Seery and Mikael Silander ahead of their historic CWFC flyweight title fight, with both fighters coming in under the 125lbs limit.

MAIN CARD

Welterweight: Cathal Pendred (champion, 169.5lbs) v Che Mills* (170.7lbs)
Flyweight: Neil Seery (124.8lbs) v Mikael Silander (124.1lbs) – inaugural CWFC flyweight title bout
190lbs catchweight: Chris Fields (188.7lbs) v Norman Paraisy (189.3lbs)
Lightweight: Marc Allen (154.7lbs) v Paul Redmond (155.8lbs)
139lbs catchweight: Steve McCombe (139.2lbs) v Jean N’Doye (140lbs)

FACEBOOK PRELIMS

Welterweight: Piotr Ptasinski (168.8lbs) v John Redmond (170.9lbs)
150lbs catchweight: Stephen Coll (148.9lbs) v Liam James (147.5lbs)

NON-STREAMED PRELIMS

Middleweight: Sam Francis (183.8lbs) v Konrad Iwanowski (184.8lbs)
Bantamweight: Gavin Kelly (135.9lbs) v Ben Rees (135.7lbs)

*Mills initially came in at 171.2lbs but failed to make the contracted weight within the two-hour limit; now a non-title bout to be contested over three rounds and Mills surrenders 25 percent of his purse to Pendred