Tag: James Gallagher

Cris Lencioni officially pulled from James Gallagher fight as Bellator 298 adds five new bouts

Bellator has officially pulled Cris Lencioni from his fight with James Gallagher after he suffered cardiac arrest earlier this month.

The Bellator 298 lineup unsurprisingly has lost a fight while gaining five others.

In a press release announcing the five new bouts Thursday, Bellator also removed [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] from the lineup. While the release made no mention of Lencioni’s removal, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie that he won’t compete at Bellator 298 after it was revealed last week that the 28-year-old is in intensive care following a cardiac arrest suffered in training. There haven’t been any updates on his condition since.

Bellator intends to find a replacement for Gallagher, who hasn’t competed since a submission loss to current interim bantamweight champion Patchy Mix in November 2021. Gallagher’s previous two fight bookings prior to Lencioni were canceled.

Among the five additions, flyweight [autotag]Diana Avsaragova[/autotag] will look to remain undefeated when she takes on UFC veteran Justine Kish. Avsaragova (6-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) is coming off a split decision win over Alejandra Lara in February at Bellator 290.

Below is the updated Bellator 298 lineup:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
  • Aaron Jeffery vs. Dalton Rosta
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Sidney Outlaw

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, YouTube, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Weber Almeida vs. Lucas Brennan
  • Leandro Higo vs. Nikita Mikhailov
  • Diana Avsaragova vs. Justine Kish
  • Aalon Cruz vs. Alfie Davis
  • Dayana Silva vs. Katerina Shakalova
  • Jario Pacheco vs. Max Rohskopf
  • Jerrell Hodge vs. Marcirley Alves da Silva
  • Michael Blockhus vs. Eli Mefford

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030791]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 22-28)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from May 22-28.

James Gallagher returns against Cris Lencioni at Bellator 298 on Aug. 11

James Gallagher’s Bellator return in South Dakota will come at 145 pounds.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]’s return will come at 145 pounds.

Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) at Bellator 298 on Aug. 11 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

A person with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking, but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Severe MMA was first to report the matchup.

Gallagher hasn’t competed since a Round 3 submission loss to new interim champion Patchy Mix in November 2021. The 26-year-old has withdrew from the bantamweight grand prix due to a hand injury that required surgery, as well as bouts against Brett Johns and Leandro Higo. Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher was on a four-fight winning streak, including three by submission.

Lencioni is coming off a second-round inverted triangle submission finish of Blake Smith at Bellator 294 in April. “Sunshine” currently is on a four-fight winning streak.

With the addition, the Bellator 298 lineup includes:

  • Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
  • Aaron Jeffery vs. Dalton Rosta
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Sidney Outlaw
  • Weber Almeida vs. Lucas Brennan
  • James Gallagher vs. Cris Lencioni

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.

James Gallagher out of Bellator 292 bout vs. Leandro Higo

For the third time in four bookings, James Gallagher has withdrawn from a scheduled Bellator bout.

For the third time in four bookings, [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has withdrawn from a fight.

Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is out of Bellator 292 for undisclosed reasons, and his bout vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has been scrapped. The bantamweight contenders were expected to throw down March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif..

Promotion officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA. Higo will not remain on the card.

Gallagher, 26, has competed once since the end of 2020, a submission loss to Patchy Mix that snapped a three-fight win streak. In between the Mix and Higo matchups, Gallagher was booked to partake in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix. However, a hand injury that required surgery forced him out. Gallagher later withdrew from a Brett Johns matchup scheduled for September.

Higo, 34, competed in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. He was eliminated by Danny Sabatello by unanimous decision in the quarterfinal round. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.

With the cancellation, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
  • Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
  • Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
  • Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 16-22.

James Gallagher set to face Leandro Higo at Bellator 292 in San Jose

A fun bantamweight matchup between James Gallagher and Leandro Higo has been added to Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif.

A fun bantamweight matchup has been added to the upcoming Bellator 292 card.

Wednesday the promotion officially announced [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] will share the Bellator cage with [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] at the event set to take place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on March 10. The event airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will return to the cage for the first time since a submission loss to Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 in November 2021. Due to injury, he was forced out of last year’s bantamweight grand prix, and later had to pull out of a scheduled fight against Brett Johns at Bellator 285.

Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher, 26, ripped through four straight opponents, finishing Steven Graham, Roman Salazar and Cal Ellenor in the first round.

Higo (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) was also set back in his last outing, ending up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Danny Sabatello in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak which included second-round submissions of Shawn Bunch and Ricky Bandejas.

The 33-year-old Higo will not only look to get back into the win column, but also stay above .500 in Bellator.

With the addition, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:

  • Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – for lightweight title/grand prix quarterfinal
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabily – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • James Gallagher vs. Leandro Higo
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley

[listicle id=2609830]

Brett Johns calls out James Gallagher for Bellator Dublin headliner in February

Brett Johns thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against James Gallagher when the promotion returns to Dublin in February.

[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag].

Johns (19-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Gallagher at this past Friday’s Bellator 285 card at 3Arena in Dublin, but Gallagher was forced out due to injury. Johns faced Jordan Winski instead and beat him by unanimous decision.

Bellator announcing a return to Dublin for Feb. 24, and Johns wants to face Ireland’s own Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in the event’s headliner.

“@BellatorMMA I think it makes sense right now to book @StrabanimalMMA and me for February 24th. It’s the fight everyone wants to see end off. The Irish want it and the welsh want it. It’s probably the biggest Bantamweight fight in European MMA history.

“I’m not here to coast by. I’m here to create big fights and slowly start making my way up the rankings. As for James’ skill set I think it’s a tough fight. He’s proven himself at the top of the @BellatorMMA bantamweight division. But mark my words I’ll be coming for his head.

“5 round main event in Dublin 24th February And I’ll take him out in 2.”

Gallagher saw his four-fight winning streak snapped when he was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 this past November. He then was selected for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, but withdrew due to injury.

[vertical-gallery id=579377]

James Gallagher out of Bellator 285 fight vs. Brett Johns

So much for James Gallagher’s Bellator return at home.

So much for [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]’s Bellator return at home.

Gallagher has pulled out of his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag], which was scheduled for Bellator 285 on Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. A Bellator official confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Thursday following an initial report from Severe MMA.

The reason for Gallagher’s withdrawal isn’t know. Bellator is in search of a replacement to fight Johns.

A fan favorite in Dublin, Gallagher, 25, was looking to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix but withdrew due to injury.

Johns (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. He’s split his first two Bellator fights.

Johns took a thinly veiled shot at Gallagher on Twitter for withdrawing from the fight.

With the change, here’s the Bellator 285 lineup:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally
  • Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoel Romero
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Georges Sasu
  • Mads Burnell vs. Pedro Carvalho
  • Leah McCourt vs. Dayana Silva

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • opponent TBA vs. Brett Johns
  • Brian Moore vs. Arivaldo Lima Silva
  • Karl Albrektsson vs. Karl Moore
  • Darragh Kelly vs. Kye Stevens
  • Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kane Mousah
  • Alex Bodnar vs. Kenny Mokhonoana
  • Luca Poclit vs. Dante Schiro
  • Asael Adjoudj vs. Jordan Barton

James Gallagher gets another home fight at Bellator Dublin, meets Brett Johns in September

In September, James Gallagher will face off with former UFC fighter Brett Johns.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has brought the Dublin crowd to its feet on several occasions.

When Bellator returns to Dublin on Sept. 23, Gallagher  (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will have the chance to make that happen once again when he takes on former UFC fighter [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout at 3Arena.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Thursday after a tweet from MMA reporter Ariel Helwani. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Gallagher, 25, will look to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, but withdrew due to injury.

Johns signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. In what was considered a surprise upset to many, Johns lost to short-notice debutant Danny Sabatello in his first Bellator fight. He returned strong in February, however, when he ground-and-pounded his way to a TKO against Khurshed Kakhorov.

With the addition, the Bellator Dublin lineup includes:

  • James Gallagher vs. Brett Johns
  • Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoel Romero
  • Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally

[vertical-gallery id=579377]

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

James Gallagher injured, Bellator bantamweight grand prix takes another blow

For the second time in the past week, a fighter has withdrawn from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] joins champion Sergio Pettis on the list of fighters withdrawn from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix thus far.

On Wednesday, a promotion official confirmed Gallagher’s withdrawal due to an undisclosed injury that required surgery. A replacement is expected to be named in the coming weeks. Sports Illustrated first reported the news.

Gallagher had not yet been paired up for the opening round of the tournament, though sources tell MMA Junkie that he was likely to face Magomed Magomedov.

“I’m gutted to be watching this tournament unfold from the sidelines,” Gallagher told Sports Illustrated. “I will be ready to go later in the year and available to fill in as an alternate if anyone gets hurt.”

With Juan Archuleta replacing the injured Pettis on April 23 against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 279 in Honolulu, that leaves two open slots in the tournament as it nears its launch. An interim Bellator bantamweight title will be implemented in that matchup, and will carry throughout the progression of the tournament.

Alternate Josh Hill is currently slated to fight Enrique Barzola at Bellator 278 on April 22. Archuleta vs. Stots takes place at the same event as Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix, with Magomedov and Higo expected to fight later in the year against yet-to-be-determined opponents.

[vertical-gallery id=579377]