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Bellator MMA are set to host several live events in the UK and Europe in 2019.

Here we profile seven of the most exciting UK and Irish fighters to watch out for this year….

Aaron Chalmers - fights out of Newcastle, England.

The 31-year-old former reality TV star signed with Bellator at the end of 2018 and "The Joker" will be looking to build on his current four fight win streak and keep his perfect record intact when he takes on Corey Browning in front of his home crowd in the co main event at Bellator Newcastle.

Chalmers has silenced his critics so far with a string of impressive performances inside the cage racking up four first round wins against Greg Jenkins, Alex Thompson, Karl Donaldson and Ash Griffiths since making his debut in May 2017. Not bad for someone who only started competing in the sport 18 months ago.

With the support of the loyal home crowd behind him, you wouldn’t bet against Chalmers extending that winning run to five when he steps into the cage once again. Set to fight at 155lbs, fans will be excited to see Chalmers perform again and who knows where his success will take him by the end of the year.

(Image: Bellator)

Fabian Edwards - fights out of Birmingham, England.

Currently unbeaten in his professional MMA career, Fabian "The Assassin" Edwards (5-0) is the younger brother of UFC star Leon Edwards. He trains at Team Renegade in Birmingham alongside UFC fighter Tom Breese and close friend Aaron Chalmers. The 25-year-old has won all five of his professional MMA fights so far, with his most recent victory coming over Claudio Conti at BAMMA 35 in May 2018.

Two KO victories and three submission wins in his career has seen Fabian become one of the most fearsome strikers in MMA and at 25 years old, his best years are still ahead of him. The middleweight fighter will hope to continue his winning streak and extend his unbeaten record to six when he takes on Lee "The Butcher" Chadwick (24-1-13) at the Metro Arena in Newcastle on Feb 9.

His explosive style and knockout power bring guaranteed excitement whenever he fights and 2019 could well be a year to remember for the Birmingham star.

James Gallagher - fights out of Dublin, Ireland.

Trash-talking Irish prospect James Gallagher (7-1) will defend his home turf against Steven Graham (6-3) in the bantamweight main event of Bellator: Gallagher vs. Graham at 3Arena on February 23.

The 22-year-old nicknamed the "Strabanimal" who trains at SBG in Ireland alongside UFC superstar Conor McGregor and under the stewardship of John Kavanagh, will be looking to return to winning ways after tasting defeat in his last outing against Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204.

Six of his seven professional MMA victories have come via submission and not many fighters have achieved what he has at his age. Gallagher is rightly being touted as one of the hottest prospects in Irish MMA. He speaks boldly but so far, he has backed it up with a series of memorable victories. Comparisons have been made with McGregor, but Gallagher is certainly making his own waves in the sport.

(Image: Bellator)

Nathan Greyson - fights out of London, England.

Signed to Bellator in December 2018, nicknamed "Dread", Nathan Greyson is a former Cage Warriors flyweight champion. He is definitely one to watch this year.

With a professional fight record of 6 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, boasting a 100 per cent TKO win record, when he fights, he certainly leaves everything inside the cage showcasing his devastating ability to string together fight-ending knees, punches and elbows from all angles.

He has fought some big-name fighters in the past including UFC featherweight Arnold Allen. The 29-year-old currently trains at Team Titan in North London alongside retired UFC veteran Brad Pickett and current UFC bantamweight Nathaniel Wood. Greyson will make his Bellator bow when he faces fellow Brit Cal Ellenor in a bantamweight bout at Bellator: Newcastle on Feb. 9.

Mike Shipman - fights out London, England.

British middleweight, Mike Shipman (13-1-0) is currently riding a four-fight win streak in Bellator. After losing his first professional fight in 2013, he has since gone on to win his following 12 fights, finishing all 12 via a combination of KO wins and submissions with 9 of them coming in the first round.

At 27 years old, Shipman is an experienced fighter and possesses strong wrestling skills with excellent control on the ground. A former BAMMA champion, Shipman has a knack for grabbing the neck winning four of his submissions by choke. After two first-round wins in his first two Bellator fights, "Seabass" delivered his most impressive performance to date in May 2018 at Bellator 200 taking just 10 seconds to knockout Carl Noon.

He will be eager to get back in action as soon as he can in 2018 as he looks to shake up the middleweight division.

(Image: Bellator)

Ryan Scope - fights out of Sunderland, England.

Nicknamed "Big Baby", Ryan Scope will enter the Bellator cage for the first time on February 9 looking to improve upon his exceptional 11-1 mark as a professional; a record the Sunderland fighter accrued on the European MMA scene since turning pro at age 17.

With eight stoppages in his 11 wins, Scope will face Patricky "Pitbull" Freire (20-8) in the main event at Bellator Newcastle . At only 26 years of age and now free from injury, Scope recently signed with Bellator and is tipped to achieve big things in the sport.

Coming off the back of a victory over Mickael Lebout at BAMMA 33 in December 2017, Big Baby” finds himself in his toughest test to date and will hope for a memorable Bellator debut in front of a partisan crown in Newcastle.

Terry Brazier - fights out of London, England.

Making his highly-anticipated Bellator debut, London’s Terry Brazier (10-1) is a former two-division BAMMA champion and is currently enjoying a rich vein of form, riding a nine-fight winning streak.

Having secured four of his last five wins via the judges’ decision, Brazier will be looking to return to the spectacular first round knockout form of his first five professional MMA bouts which rightfully earned him the nickname "The Dominator". Standing between Brazier and a 10thconsecutive victory will be Chris Bungard, also making his Bellator debut.

The pair will collide at Bellator Newcastle: Pitbull vs. Scope on Feb 9. A well-rounded fighter with bags of experience, Brazier knows how to win and will be looking to prove he can compete at this level as he chases the gold once again.

The first event in the exclusive U.K., Ireland and Western Europe fight series will take place in Newcastle, England, when Bellator returns to Metro Radio Arena on Saturday, Feb. 9 for Bellator Newcastle: Pitbull vs. Scope. Tickets are now on sale to the general public and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.co.uk and Bellator.com , as well as the Metro Radio Arena box office.