5 Defining Moments: James Gallagher

Perhaps no one in mixed martial arts exudes self-belief any better than James Gallagher.

The braggadocious 26-year-old will attempt to rebound from his second career defeat under the Bellator MMA banner when he confronts former Ring of Combat champion James Gonzalez in a Bellator 298 featherweight attraction on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Gallagher operates out of the famed SBG Ireland camp, where he has trained alongside some of the sport’s most accomplished fighters, Conor McGregor chief among them. Nine of his 11 career victories have resulted in submissions.

As Gallagher makes final preparations for his upcoming clash with Gonzalez at 145 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Initial Impression

The hyped John Kavanagh protege kept his record spotless and started to carve out a permanent spot on the Bellator MMA roster with a unanimous decision over British Association of Mixed Martial Arts alum Mike Cutting in a Bellator 158 showcase on July 16, 2016 at the O2 Arena in London. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Gallagher. Cutting did not offer much resistance and even received a warning from referee John McCarthy for passivity in the second round. Gallagher, just 19 years of age at the time, went about his business as best he could in his promotional debut, as he was forced at times to deal with an unwilling dance partner. The Irishman advanced to Cutting’s back in the first round and remained the aggressor over the final 10 minutes.

2. Gaining Notice

Gallagher was flawless in dispatching Chinzo Machida—the older brother of former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder Lyoto Machida—with a first-round rear-naked choke as part of the Bellator 180 undercard on June 24, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Machida checked out 2:22 into Round 1. Operating in the shadows of the Chael Sonnen-Wanderlei Silva main event, “The Strabanimal” executed a takedown inside the first minute, climbed to full mount and transitioned to the back before securing his position with a body triangle. Punches followed, forced Machida to expose his neck and opened the door for the submission. The victory moved Gallagher to 7-0 with six finishes.

3. A Dose of Humility

Catone MMA’s Ricky Bandejas electrified the MMA world in his organizational debut, as he wiped out the previously unbeaten Gallagher with a head kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their Bellator 204 bantamweight feature on Aug. 17, 2018 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Bandejas drew the curtain 2:49 into Round 1. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder sat down the bravado-infused Gallagher with a clean right hand, then swarmed him precision and purpose. A side kick to the face was followed by more punches that drove the dazed Irishman to the ground and left him unable to intelligently defend himself. Bandejas moved into position and pounded him unconscious to roaring approval from those in attendance.

4. Simple Plan

Gallagher hit the accelerator on his post-Bandejas resurgence when he needed less than a minute to dispatch well-traveled UFC, Legacy Fighting Alliance and Combate Global alum Roman Salazar with a guillotine choke in their Bellator 227 headliner on Sept. 27, 2019 at 3Arena in Dublin. A short-notice fill-in for Callum Ellenor, Salazar bowed out 35 seconds into Round 1. Gallagher lured the well-traveled Arizonan into his trap with a flying knee in the center of the cage. Salazar shot for an ill-advised takedown, only to wander into the clutches of the Irishman’s guillotine. Gallagher closed his guard as his counterpart struggled in vain to free himself, tightened his squeeze and prompted a meek tapout. It remains the fastest official finish of his career.

5. No Room for Error

Former King of the Cage champion Patrick Mix handed Gallagher his first submission defeat when he dropped a guillotine on the SBG Ireland export in the third round of their Bellator 270 co-main event on Nov. 5, 2021 at 3Arena in Dublin. Mix, who missed weight for the match by nearly two pounds, closed it out 39 seconds into Round 3. Gallagher surprised the Angola, New York, native with darting combinations upstairs, threw in a few takedowns and made passes at his own guillotines. Mix waded through fatigue in the second round, where he seized the reins with top control and ground-and-pound. Early in the third, he caught Gallagher ducking in for a takedown, ensnared him in the choke and wrapped the Irishman in full guard, ultimately securing his position with a body triangle. Mix then moved to mount and forced the tapout, temporarily silencing the hometown crowd.