Paul Redmond has been forced of out his highly anticipated hometown clash with Brandon Girtz at Bellator Dublin on Sept. 27 due to an injury.
Bellator confirmed the injury to MMA Fighting and revealed that former UFC fighter Jon Tuck will step in to replace the Irishman in the lightweight contest. According to Bellator, the fight will remain on the main card of the Bellator 227.
Tuck (10-5-0) contested nine bouts with the UFC from 2012 to 2018 compiling a record of 4-5. His most notable win came in his penultimate visit to the Octagon when he faced Takanori Gomi, who he stopped in the second round of their UFC Singapore bout via rear-naked choke. Tuck’s last fight for the promotion was his Aug. 2018 meeting with Drew Dober at UFC Lincoln in which he suffered a unanimous decision loss. He has not contested a bout since.
Girtz (16-8-0) is a 14-fight Bellator veteran. He currently boasts an 8-6 record with the promotion. Following a first-round submission loss to Michael Chandler in April last year, Girtz got back into the win column with a decision nod over Saad Awad at Bellator 219. Girtz boasts notable wins over Melvin Guillard and Derek Campos.