BRAD Scott is itching to throw down in the Octagon once again and is already calling out the man he wishes to make his UFC comeback against.

The Melksham mixed martial arts star has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery last summer.

But during an appearance on UFC: Beyond the Octagon, which was broadcast this week on BT Sport, the 25-year-old threw down the gauntlet to American Clint Hester.

Scott, who has fought twice on the world’s premiere MMA promotion since earning a deal as welterweight runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter - The Smashes, was last in action as he suffered a points defeat to Claudio Henrique da Silva during UFC Fight Night 37 at the O2 Arena in London last March.

The Wiltshire ace picked up his shoulder injury in the lead-up to that fight.

But Scott (9-3) sees 28-year-old Hester (11-4), who was beaten by Australian Robert Whittaker – the same opponent ‘the Bear’ took on in The Smashes final – in his most recent outing last November, as the ideal antagonist for his UFC return.

“I went on Beyond the Octagon and called out Clint Hester. I said that I wanted to fight him ASAP and hopefully we can make it happen,” said Scott, who began his MMA career at Melksham’s Dragonslair Gym.

“I called him out on Twitter too and he replied saying he’d be up for it, and he also tagged in Joe Silva, who’s the matchmaker, and Dana White, who’s the president (of the UFC).

“He’s a boxer and he’s had a few more fights than me but that doesn’t bother me – if I fight someone with a better record than me and lose, then it doesn’t really matter.

“I was a big underdog when I fought Michael Kuiper (in October 2013) but he wasn’t that good when I got in there with him and I smashed him.

“I’ve not been able to train for such a long time but I have been lifting weights again for a little bit. I let myself go over Christmas but I should be going out to America (to the MMA Lab gym in Arizona) again at the end of the month.

“I can’t wait to get back out there. I won’t have to worry about the weather and I’ll be able to go and have some proper sparring. I’m ready to kill.”

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