Paul Redmond hopes Bellator’s European signings will be pitted against top U.S. talent

Paul Redmond is one of the most established names among the numerous European fighters that signed for Bellator over the last two months.

In July, the Telegraph reported that signings were put in place to facilitate a new “localized” agenda for Bellator in the U.K., Ireland and Western Europe.

So far, nothing has been announced in terms of Bellator’s new venture in the continent. Some fans have been wondering whether the newly-signed European talent will be pitted against each other, or matched with the established names that usually compete on U.S. cards.

Redmond hopes he will get an opportunity to fight some of the bigger names on the promotion’s lightweight roster.

“I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some American talent over [to the U.K. and Ireland], maybe they could headline it with some of the [new signees], me included,” Redmond said on the latest episode of Eurobash. “They could do it that way.

“I know most of the guys from Europe have already fought each other because they came up on the scene together. I’d like to fight a couple of [Americans], why not? We’re just as good as them.”

The Team Ryano stalwart claims he has yet to hear about Bellator’s plans for their localized events.

“We’re still in the dark. I think that they’re going to [build the young European professionals that were signed] on the regional circuit. I think that they will be matched with each other,” said Redmond.

“With the amount of signings they are after taking on, if they’re only putting on one show in Ireland this year, not everyone is going to fight on it. Those guys might have to wait another six months to get on an Irish card, or they might do an English card. I don’t know what way they’re going to work it.”

Fans in Ireland and the U.K. hope to see a rematch of 2017’s BAMMA lightweight title tussle between Redmond and another newly signed Bellator lightweight, Norman Parke. It’s a fight “Redser” is open to, among other names on Bellator’s books.

“There are some good fights. As you said, the Norman [Parke] fight, everyone wants to see that again. I’d like to get that one back because it was such a good fight. Everyone seemed to enjoy it up north — I enjoyed it. It was a good fight, but the result didn’t go my way in the end.

“Ryan [Scope] is in there. He was the BAMMA champion that I was meant to fight. That could make sense as well,” he added.

“It’ll be interesting because you don’t know if they are going to match us with the American guys. We’ll see what they come back with first. I’m coming off a rough loss so I’m itching to get back in now.”