Tag: James Gallagher

Triple Take: Which Bellator fight is missed most after May postponements?

Bellator postponed more than 30 fights over three events in May due to the coronavirus outbreak. But which one was the biggest loss?

Bellator postponed three additional events from its May calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bellator 232 (San Jose, Calif.) on May 9, Bellator Europe 8 (London) on May 16 and Bellator 243 (Temecula, Calif.) on May 29 were all pushed back due to safety concerns over the ongoing crisis, causing more than 30 matchups to fall apart.

There were certainly some matchups of significance and great intrigue on the docket, too, but which fight is the biggest loss from our upcoming watchlist? MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Dave Doyle, and Farah Hannoun give their opinions in the latest edition of Triple Take.

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Mike Bohn: James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor

It’s not difficult to understand why [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] is a polarizing figure. Many aren’t fans of his, and only tune in out of hope he gets his trademark pre-fight talk flipped on him like we saw Ricky Bandejas do in Gallagher’s only career loss.

Still, though, it’s hard not to feel for Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in this scenario. With his fight at Bellator Europe 8 in London postponed, Gallagher vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] has now been canceled a whopping three times over an eight-month stretch. I don’t believe in curses, but it certainly seems like a higher power doesn’t want these two matched up.

The pair were supposed to fight at Bellator Europe 4 in September, but Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had to pull out at the last minute when his medicals revealed a brain abnormality that required further examination. He overcame the issue and received clearance to return, and the fight was rescheduled for Bellator Europe 7 in February.

Gallagher sustained a back injury during the final stages of his preparation, though, and had to pull out of the main event bout with Ellenor in his native Ireland. He said he was “heartbroken,” but remained determined to make the contest happen.

It seemed the third time was going to be the charm with Bellator Europe 8, but then the coronavirus pandemic derailed the matchup once more.

On paper, the fight is Gallagher’s to lose. He’s been a sizable betting favorite each time he’s been matched up with Ellenor, who feels he has the tools to expose Gallagher. Hopefully the fight can come together one day, though, because both men have put enough time and effort into preparation that they deserve the payoff.

Next page: Dave Doyle on Liz Carmouche’s Bellator debut

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James Gallagher plans to submit Cal Ellenor at Bellator London, fight Sergio Pettis for vacant title

James Gallagher thinks he’s one step away from fighting for Bellator gold.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] sees Bellator gold in his near future.

The 23-year-old Irish prospect is scheduled to take on Cal Ellenor in the main event of  Bellator Europe 8 on May 16. Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) sees himself picking up a win in London and then fighting for the vacant bantamweight title against one of the bigger names in the division.

“One-hundred percent, (Sergio) Pettis,” Gallagher told MMA Junkie. “Why not? Dublin, October 3. I’m open. I’m running away from fights here, I’m ruling away from fights there, that’s what they keep saying. That’s what they keep saying. I’m fake this, they say, but what am I doing? Is it fake? Do they really think I’m generating all of this power that I got, beating all these people. Is it not after being three, four years in Bellator, and they’re saying the whole thing is boring. It’s not. It’s real. You just can’t accept it. And I’m cool with that. No one needs to accept it but myself.”

The belt was vacated by Kyoji Horiguchi back in October after he suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for perhaps a full year.

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In order to have the possibility available to fight for the Bellator 135-pound title, Gallagher needs to get through Ellenor first. The two were scheduled to fight twice before, but injuries and botched medical assessment delayed the fight.

“He’s too stupid to go to the right doctors,” Gallagher said. “So he went to a doctor that couldn’t clear him to fight because it wasn’t the right doctor to see, and that’s just absolutely mind blowing as a professional athlete. There’s nothing professional about it. I think he’s brain dead, just stupid.

“He was cleared to fight two days before the fight, but that was just too late. I had a replacement. I could’ve been the bitter guy and been like, ‘Well, f*ck you, mate.’ You literally could’ve ran my main event slot, you could’ve f*cked that up. So why should I give him the opportunity? But I wanted to make him pay for it, but then I got a back injury. And as you do, as a professional mixed martial artist, you go and get the right medical (test), you go and get the right scans.”

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With the recent pandemic of COVID-19, it’s uncertain how that will affect Bellator’s schedule. There’s still two months until Bellator London. But if all goes well, and the fight happens, Gallagher sees himself submitting Ellenor in the first.

“Between three and four minutes of the first round, rear-naked choke,” Gallagher said.

“I’m in here to show him what’s what, to show him that this level of fighter is something that he doesn’t know what, that he can’t elaborate on.”

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Video: James Gallagher leaves mid-interview, goes after Cal Ellenor at Bellator showcase event

This could’ve gotten out of hand quickly if not for a member of Bellator’s security team sniffing it out.

NEW YORK – Once wasn’t enough for [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]. He wanted another go at [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag].

Gallagher, a rising Bellator bantamweight prospect and Conor McGregor protégé, was two minutes into an interview with MMA Junkie on Monday at Viacom Headquarters when he spotted Ellenor walking into the room. Even though the two men just had a faceoff in which Gallagher shoved Eleanor, “The Strabanimal” wanted to get his hands on his opponent again.

So he went after him.

A member of Bellator’s security team spotted Gallagher walking toward Eleanor and stopped him before he could charge at him. It was brief, and neither man got close to each other.

Afterward, Gallagher returned to continue his interview with MMA Junkie and immediately had this to say.

“I’m in here to show him what’s what, to show that this level of fighter is something he doesn’t know about. It’s something that he can’t even elaborate on. I’m fake this, I’m fake that. It’s all fake until it’s May 16, and I’m on his back, and I’m like this,” Gallagher said as he motioned a downward elbow. “… Whack on the other side, he doesn’t know what’s happening, and there’s blood dripping from his face. We’ll see if that’s fake.”

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Gallagher and Ellenor were scheduled to headline Bellator Europe 7 last month in Dublin until Gallagher pulled out with a back injury two weeks prior. They’ve been rebooked to headline Bellator Europe 8 on May 16 in London.

You can watch the incident, as well as MMA Junkie’s full interview from the Bellator showcase media day, in the video above.

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Bellator showcase faceoffs: Champs, headliners, tournament fighters square up in New York

Check out the faceoffs from some of the biggest upcoming fights on the Bellator schedule, including Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima.

NEW YORK – Bellator hosted a news conference Monday to promote the biggest bouts on its upcoming schedule, and at the end of it the fighters got face to face.

Fourteen athletes from future championship, main event and featherweight grand prix tournament bouts were in attendance, including the headliners from Friday’s Bellator 241 event, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].

In addition, a number of others got a chance to go toe-to-toe, including: [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (Bellator 241 on March 13), [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (Bellator 242 on May 9), [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (Bellator 242), [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (Bellator Europe 8 on May 16), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (Bellator 244 on June 6), [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (Bellator 244) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (Bellator Dublin on Oct. 3).

Watch the video above to see all the faceoffs from the media event, which took place at Viacom headquarters in Manhattan.

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Bellator Europe 8: Bellator returns to London with James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor set to headline

Bellator has announced its return to London, with Wembley’s SSE Arena set to play host to Bellator Europe 8 on May 16.

The Bellator cage is all set to return to London, with a twice-scrapped bantamweight battle scheduled for its main event.

Irish bantamweight [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has twice been booked to face Englishman [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] in Dublin, at Bellator Europe 4 and Bellator Europe 7 but, on both occasions, the bout fell by the wayside.

Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) was set to face Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at Bellator Europe 4 in September 2019, but issues with Ellenor’s medicals forced him off the card and Gallagher defeated his last-minute replacement, Roman Salazar, in 35 seconds at the 3Arena.

The pair were then set to meet at Bellator Europe 7 on February 22, but a back injury to “The Stranimal” meant the second attempt to match the pair was put on ice once again.

Now Bellator officials are hoping the third time will be a charm, with the pair now set to face off in the main event of Bellator Europe 8 at London’s SSE Arena on Saturday, May 16.

Also set to feature on the card is former England international rugby player [autotag]James Haskell[/autotag], who will be making his MMA debut on home soil.

The 34-year-old former rugby ace has played in two Rugby World Cups and won the six nations twice with England in 2016 and 2017, but is no stranger to MMA-based training having worked extensively with the acclaimed London Shootfighters gym for years as part of his cross-training regimen.

Now the former rugby flanker, who retired from the sport in 2019, is taking the plunge and looking to parlay his athletic talents to the Bellator cage against an opponent to be named in due course.

Confirmed fights for Bellator Europe 8 include:

  • James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor
  • James Haskell vs. TBC

‘Heartbroken’ James Gallagher reveals back injury forced him out of Bellator Europe 7

Irish bantamweight star James Gallagher revealed a back injury was the reason for his enforced withdrawal from Bellator Europe 7 on Feb. 22.

“The Jimmy Show” has been postponed at Bellator Europe 7, but [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has vowed to return and make sure he and Cal Ellenor finally do get to share the Bellator cage.

Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) and Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) have twice been booked to face off at 3Arena in Dublin, but the fight has fallen through on both occasions. Errant brain scan issues forced Ellenor out of their first booking at Bellator Europe 4 in September 2018. Now Bellator’s second attempt to match the pair has fallen by the wayside with news of Gallagher’s injury forcing the pair off the Feb. 22 card.

News initially was released by Bellator officials to MMA Junkie, but since then Gallagher has taken to his Instagram page to share his thoughts on the situation with his 188,000 followers.

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“I am absolutely heart broken,” he said. “I am out of my fight due to a back injury that has been going on for over 2 weeks now. I always take the advice of my team and coaches. I will get stuck into my rehab and be back in there soon.”

Gallagher also made clear that after spending two training camps preparing for the Englishman, he still wants to face Ellenor.

“No I’m not letting him off the hook, he’s next,” he said. “3rd time unlucky for him. I’m made in adversity this is just another experience on this mad road I’m on. Thank you for the support as always and sorry let the people who’ve bought tickets and @bellatormma down. I’ll be in there again soon.”

The fight card on Feb. 22 will now be headlined by the women’s featherweight bout between Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt and Germany’s Judith Ruis.

James Gallagher ruled out of Bellator Europe 7, Leah McCourt steps up for first Bellator headliner

With James Gallagher ruled out of Bellator Europe 7, Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt steps into the main event spotlight in Dublin on Feb. 22.

The fight card for Bellator Europe 7 has taken a hit with the news that Irish bantamweight star [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] is out of the event due to an undisclosed injury.

Bellator officials confirmed to MMA Junkie that Gallagher will not compete at the event, which takes place at the 3Arena, Dublin, on Saturday, Feb. 22. No replacement will be found, which means his scheduled main event opponent [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] will also be taken off the card and rebooked for a future event.

The change means the event now has a new main event, with Northern Ireland’s women’s featherweight [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) set to take center stage for her first Bellator main event. “The Curse” will take on Germany’s [autotag]Judith Ruis[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in the new headliner.

The change to the fight card means the new Bellator Europe 7 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

  • Leah McCourt vs. Judith Ruis
  • Aaron Chalmers vs. Austin Clem
  • Chris Bungard vs. Brent Primus
  • Kiefer Crosbie vs. Iamik Furtado
  • Kyle Kurtz vs. Charlie Ward
  • Elina Kallionidou vs. Bec Rawlings

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Paul Redmond
  • Chris Duncan vs. Ryan Roddy
  • Daniel Crawford vs. Philip Mulpeter
  • Arunas Andriuskevicus vs. Karl Moore
  • Will Fleury vs. Justin Moore
  • Ranjeet Baria vs. Richie Smullen
  • Oliver Enkamp vs. Lewis Long
  • Danni Neilan vs. Chiara Penco
  • Ezzoubair Bouarsa vs. Blaine O’Driscoll
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Jamie Faulding
  • Ilias Bulaid vs. Diego Freitas
  • Dylan Logan vs. Tom Mearns
  • Constantin Blanita vs. Asael Adjoudj
  • Ricky Bandejas vs. Frans Mlambo

Bellator Europe 7: Aaron Chalmers lands Dublin showcase as Bellator adds six more bouts to Feb. 22 lineup

Aaron Chalmers heads the list as Bellator confirms six more matchups for their return to Dublin on Feb. 22.

The fight card for Bellator’s first European Series event of 2020 in Dublin is starting to take shape, with the promotion’s officials confirming six more bouts to take the number of announced matchups to 10.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] will headline Bellator Europe 7 at the 3Arena on Feb. 22 against [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] in a rebooking of their canceled matchup in Dublin at Bellator Europe 4 in September.

Now that bout has been joined by a main card addition, with England’s [autotag]Aaron Chalmers[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) moving back up to 170 pounds to take on promotional newcomer [autotag]Austin Clem[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who arrives in Bellator with a 100% finish rate, with all three of his wins coming via submission.

Former MTV star and Geordie Shore castmate Chalmers is now 100% committed to his MMA career, and after bouncing back from his first career defeat with a submission victory over Fred Freeman at Bellator Europe 3, the 32-year-old Englishman has opted to move up to his more natural weight class of welterweight for his next outing in Ireland.

Also confirmed for Dublin is Irish light heavyweight fan favorite [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who returns to action looking to bounce back from his decision loss in Dublin in September. His knock-down, drag-out battle with Norbert Novenyi was one of the fights of the night at Bellator Europe 4, and Fleury will look to produce a similarly entertaining performance – albeit with a different result – when he takes on England’s [autotag]Justin Moore[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

Fleury’s SBG teammate [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] (5-1-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has also been handed a matchup on home soil as he bids to complete a hat-trick of successive wins in Dublin by adding the name of [autotag]Ranjeet Baria[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) to his list of victims on home soil.

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Also looking to build on their last appearance at the 3Arena is Irish strawweight [autotag]Danni Neilan[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who will look to make it two wins out of two to kick off her professional MMA career when she faces off against Italian newcomer [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), while fellow Irish prospect [autotag]Blaine O’Driscoll[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ezzoubair Bouarsa[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at 125 pounds.

Joining the local Irish stars on the card will be a European welterweight clash between Sweden’s [autotag]Oliver Enkamp[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Wales’ [autotag]Lewis Long[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who both kicked off their respective Bellator careers with impressive wins last time out.

Enkamp finished Walter Gahadza via rear-naked choke with six seconds remaining of the opening round at Bellator 223, while Long finished the same opponent, via the same technique, three minutes, 10 seconds quicker than the Swede at Bellator Europe 6 in London on Nov. 23.

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Bellator Europe 7 confirmed fights include:

MAIN CARD

  • James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor
  • Aaron Chalmers vs. Austin Clem

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Oliver Enkamp vs. Lewis Long
  • Philip Mulpeter vs. Daniel Crawford
  • Ryan Roddy vs. Chris Duncan
  • Karl Moore vs. Arunas Andriuskevicus
  • Will Fleury vs. Justin Moore
  • Danni Neilan vs. Chiara Penco
  • Blaine O’Driscoll vs. Ezzoubair Boarsa
  • Richie Smullen vs. Ranjeet Baria

James Gallagher: Respect to Cal Ellenor, but he’s in my way at Bellator Europe 7

“I’ve been dreaming of this greatness, striving for success, and I’ve got a man who wants to come and take that away from me.”

LONDON – [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] says he’s on a path towards greatness and ready to take out anyone in his way.

Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) meets [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator Europe 7 in Dublin, a fight that had to be rescheduled when Ellenor was forced out of their Bellator Europe 4 main event due to issues with his brain scans.

Instead, Gallagher faced Roman Salazar, whom he submitted in just 35 seconds. After receiving a second opinion, Ellenor was cleared to fight, and the two are now rescheduled to face off Feb. 22.

And Gallagher said he’s the one that made the fight happen.

“They say I’m all talk,” Gallagher told MMA Junkie. “Cal pulled out with the brain thing. I told Cal he gets that sorted, I’ll fight him again. I made that fight happen. I contacted Bellator: ‘Get that fight; that man deserves it.’ Mike Kimbel talked shit; he got banged. Good luck, you know what I mean? That’s real talk.”

Instead of promoting his fight with Ellenor, Gallagher almost came to blows with Mike Kimbel last week during Bellator Europe 6 media day, which stemmed from a comment that Kimbel made about Gallagher’s mother.

However, Gallagher is fully focused on the task ahead, and while he has a lot of respect for Ellenor, it’s all business for the young teammate of Conor McGregor.

“He’s a great fighter, looks like a good man,” Gallagher said. “I’m not friends with him. I don’t like him. I don’t dislike him. I’ve got nothing. Nothing, just that’s my answer, is nothing. But what I do got on my hands on Feb. 22 is a man who’s trying to take away everything of my dreams. I’ve been dreaming of this greatness, striving for success, and I’ve got a man who wants to come and take that away from me. I want to deal with him. I want to deal with him; I want to punish him for doing that.”

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