James Gallagher News

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2020

Patrick Mix doesn’t believe James Gallagher is a very good fighter. Ever since Mix signed to Bellator, Gallagher called him out, but as of late, Mix has noticed Gallagher hasn’t been saying his name. For “Patchy” he isn’t worried about that at all given he is set to fight for the bantamweight title on Saturday night while Gallagher hasn’t even been in a number one contender fight.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2020

Patrick Mix is looking to claim Bellator’s vacant bantamweight title. Bellator MMA is currently on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the promotion is eyeing a July return. If they do return in July, Mix is hoping to be on the first card and is eyeing a fight against Juan Archuleta for the vacant bantamweight title.

Natasha Hooper - December 9, 2019

Bellator fighter James Gallagher hopes Nick Diaz stays in retirement for good as he found his recent interview concerning. Diaz sat down for an interview with Ariel Helwani last month and hinted at a possible Octagon return against Jorge Masvidal (to avenge his younger brother’s recent loss.) As Nick Diaz is a figurehead of the sport that many younger fighters look up to, his demeanour was a cause for concern for the young Irishman. Gallagher said (transcript via Metro News):

Tom Taylor - November 21, 2019

This morning, Bellator bantamweight prospects James Gallagher and Mike Kimbel came to blows backstage at Bellator London media day. Speaking to MMA Junkie shortly thereafter, Gallagher gave his take on how this chaotic scene was sparked.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Rising Bellator star James Gallagher returned to the cage at Bellator Dublin on Friday — though not against the man he initially expected. When his original opponent Cal Ellenor was forced off the card, Gallagher was forced to shift his focus to late replacement, UFC veteran Roman Salazar. The Bellator Dublin card, of which Gallagher vs. Salazar was a part, aired live on Friday afternoon on the Bellator MMA app. Unlike the Bellator 227 portion of this event it will not air on tape delay later tonight.

Natasha Hooper - September 25, 2019

Irish Bellator prospect James Gallagher has a promising future ahead of him. As he prepares for his next fight against Roman Salazar in Dublin on Friday, he plans to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor and take his budding career stateside. The 22-year-old has the winning formula for a rising MMA star, but that hasn’t stopped him suffering from anxiety. He revealed his mental health struggles in an interview with the BBC. “We’re the tough guys,” said Gallagher. “We’re the ones everyone is scared of.”

Christine Allen - June 25, 2019

“I pulled out of the fight. I didn’t even wanna be here, I didn’t wanna train. I was in a bad way…panic attacks getting sick…and now I’m back, now I’m winning.” As I watched a very relieved James Gallagher retell his experience of severe panic attacks in the weeks leading up to his victory over Jeremiah Labiano at Bellator London 223, I was reminded once again of the fine line between success and failure, and the vital role that mental health plays in not only the outcome of a fight, but life.

Tom Taylor - June 20, 2019

Irish Bellator star James Gallagher has never shied away from a little pre-fight trash talk, and at the recent Bellator 223 press conference in London, he wound up swapping plenty of that with a teammate of his opponent, Jeremiah Labiano. The drama began during the press conference, when one of Labiano’s teammates began heckling Gallagher from the crowd. Gallagher responded with a firm lecture for his heckler, who he believed was one of his foe’s coaches.

Tom Taylor - March 29, 2019

On June 22, Bellator MMA will return to the United Kingdom with the aptly titled Bellator London card. The promotion has already begun stacking this event, adding a trio of big names to the bill in Gegard Mousasi, Paul Daley and James Gallagher (via MMA Junkie). Gegard Mousasi will defend his Bellator middleweight title on the card, taking on the streaking Rafael Lovato Jr. This fight was originally expected to occur in June, but was unfortunately delayed when Mousasi sustained an injury.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2019

Saturday night was a big night for Irish MMA, as Conor McGregor stablemates Charlie Ward and James Gallagher picked up big stoppage wins, and Khabib Nurmagomedov training partner Myles Price defeated McGregor cohort Peter Queally by decision. It all went down at Bellator 217 in Dublin. Charlie Ward, who fought previously in the UFC, was up first. He needed less than one minute to dispatch of his foe Jamie Stephenson, sealing the deal with a thunderous left hook in the first round. This is Ward’s second first-round knockout victory in a row. He’s now 6-3 overall.

James Lynch - December 19, 2018

If Bellator star James Gallagher had it his way, he’d be looking to avenge his only career loss against Ricky Bandejas on Feb. 23 instead of fighting Steven Graham. But according to the Bellator 218 headliner, Bandejas declined the rematch and instead took a fight against Juan Archuleta at Bellator 214. Gallagher explained the situation in an interview with Jim Edwards of MMANytt.

James Lynch - December 11, 2018

Bellator MMA announced in a press release that James Gallagher will headline Bellator 218 in Dublin, Ireland on Feb. 23. Gallagher (7-1) will look to bounce back from the first loss of his career as he’s set to face Steven Graham in a bantamweight bout. The 22-year-old is coming off a first-round TKO loss to former CFFC champion Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204 in August. Losing for the first time in his career was especially tough for Gallagher who had engaged in a lot of trash talk leading up until the bout. The highlight reel head kick made it’s way on SportsCenter and did big numbers on social media.

Tom Taylor - August 20, 2018

Over the weekend, on the main card of Bellator 204, outspoken Bellator bantamweight prospect James Gallagher suffered his first defeat. The polarizing young Irishman was abruptly snuffed by former CFFC champ Ricky Bandejas. Later that same night, Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell picked up a big TKO win in a featherweight showdown with streaking UFC veteran Noad Lahat.

Chris Taylor - August 18, 2018

Ricky Bandejas (11-1 MMA) picked up a statement win in his promotional debut at last night’s Bellator 204 event scoring a first-round knockout victory over the previously undefeated and highly touted James Gallagher. Bandejas was able to drop Gallagher just minutes in to the opening frame with a crisp right hand. James would scramble back to his feet but would quickly be sent back to the canvas after eating a kick that looked similar to former WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels famous sweet chin music finisher.

Thomas Taylor - August 18, 2018

Last night, on the main card of Bellator 204, bantamweight prospect James Gallagher stepped into the cage with former CFFC champ Ricky Bandejas. Heading into this fight, Gallagher was as confident as ever. He even taunted his opponent as the bout was being announced. Unfortunately, the bout did not go as planned for the brash, 21-year-old Irishman. Instead, he was knocked out in the very first round, succumbing to a side kick to the face and a volley of followup punches.