Plenty of Fuel in Leandro Higo’s Fire

Leandro Higo’s world-class skills have brought him a long way in Bellator MMA. He just hopes they can take him a little bit further.

The 35-year-old Brazilian will venture into hostile territory when he moves up in weight to confront James Gallagher in a three-round Bellator 302 featherweight feature on Friday at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Higo fought for the company’s bantamweight crown in 2018—he surrendered to a Darrion Caldwell guillotine choke—and has spent the last four years trying to get back to the top.

“I’m motivated by challenges,” he told Sherdog.com. “I want to stay on this path until I capture the belt, which has always been my goal.”

Higo struck gold in the Legacy Fighting Alliance and Resurrection Fighting Alliance promotions as a bantamweight prior to his arrival in Bellator. He plans to return to the more familiar haunts of the 135-pound weight class in the not-too-distant future. However, the chance to face Gallagher was too enticing to pass up.

“It’s not a permanent move,” Higo said. “It’s a fight I’ve been wanting for some time since I expect good results. It’s an opportunity I seized since I had been training for some time but wasn’t booked. I want to remain active. I want to keep training but also find ways to improve after each fight.”

Gallagher owns a 9-2 record in Bellator and serves as something of an organizational lightning rod due to his brash personality and accompanying antics. The 27-year-old SBG Ireland export emerged from the shadows of longtime stablemate Conor McGregor and carved out a niche of his own as a potent grappler. Gallagher has secured nine of his 12 career victories by submission, all nine via guillotine or rear-naked choke. The matchup intrigues Higo.

“We’re both Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts,” he said. “We have similar moves. We both like to take our opponents’ backs. My most recent submission wins have been by rear-naked choke and guillotine. Those are also strong positions for him. It’s going to be an interesting fight. I also enjoy striking, though there was a time in my career when I was a bit lost, thinking I was a striker. I’m actually a grappler. It’s going to be a great fight. We have a certain rivalry, but it’s nothing personal. We were supposed to fight a few times before, but he’d always drop out.”

Higo would like nothing more than to join Patrick Mix as the only man to have submitted Gallagher. Mix put away the Irishman with a guillotine choke at Bellator 270 in November 2021.

“To submit someone, in my view, shows that you truly deserved to win,” Higo said. “That’s opposed to striking, where you could be just throwing hands and then the other guy drops. I feel submission wins are definitely earned. My objective isn’t just to win but to win in the best way possible after a great fight. I want to step out of the cage with my next bout already booked.”

Gallagher figures to have the vast majority of the home crowd on his side once the bell sounds. For his part, Higo embraces his role as the villain.

“That’s something we’re used to as Brazilians,” he said. “It’s going to be great to have their fans rooting against us. It gives us extra fuel to show our work. I’m excited to put on a show and to bring another victory home. It’s a fight and a win I’ve been wanting for a long time.”