James Gallagher (fighter)
James Gallagher is an Irish professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. He is best known for his time in Bellator MMA, where he gained recognition for his submission grappling skills and confident personality. A native of Strabane, Northern Ireland, Gallagher trains at SBG Ireland under coach John Kavanagh.
Early life
Gallagher was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He began training in martial arts at a young age and gravitated toward mixed martial arts in his early teens. Influenced by the rise of Irish MMA and Conor McGregor, he joined SBG Ireland in Dublin to pursue MMA full-time.Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Gallagher began his professional career in 2015, quickly securing a number of first-round submission wins on the European MMA scene. His undefeated start caught the attention of Bellator MMA, and he signed with the promotion in 2016.Bellator MMA
Gallagher made his promotional debut at Bellator 158 in July 2016, defeating Mike Cutting by unanimous decision. He followed this with a string of victories, including a notable first-round submission win over Chinzo Machida at Bellator 180 in New York City.Gallagher suffered his first professional loss against Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204, where he was knocked out in the first round. Despite the setback, he rebounded with multiple wins, including submissions over Steven Graham and Cal Ellenor.
He returned to the cage at Bellator 270 in November 2021 but lost via guillotine choke to Patchy Mix. Gallagher has expressed plans to continue developing his all-around game to return to title contention.
After the end of Bellator Gallagher was set to debut for Absolute Championship Akhmat on ACA 194 against Ali AlQaisi but according to AlQaisi he pulled out last minute because he didn't like the warmup area.