Tag: James Gallagher

Why Bellator’s Cal Ellenor now sees James Gallagher in a positive light

Cal Ellenor explains why he has a higher level of respect for James Gallagher heading into their re-booked fight.

LONDON – [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] wasn’t the biggest [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] fan but admits that has now changed.

Speaking to MMA Junkie during Bellator Europe 6 media day last week, Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who was forced to pull out of his initially scheduled bout with Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) at Bellator Europe 4, said he has a lot of respect for the way Gallagher handled everything.

“Obviously it’s a fight. We’re still going to feel the same way about each other, but that was kind of … it was a little bit of respect there from that, and then obviously when he acted the way he did when the fight got pulled and respected me in the same way, I kind of – I see him in a different light,” Ellenor said. “At first I thought it was all just … I thought he was a bit of a (expletive) to be honest, but then obviously after that, I still want to punch him in the head the same amount. That’s not going to change, but aside from that I do have a different kind of respect for him now, and I really am looking forward to testing myself against him.”

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Gallagher ended up facing Roman Salazar instead at Bellator Dublin in September, submitting him in just 35 seconds. Ellenor, who pulled out because of a brain health scare, respects Gallagher for agreeing to the fight being rescheduled, as he believes it’ll be a tough test for both of them.

“I was one hundred percent ready for it last time,” Ellenor said. “They stole it from us, so this time it’s going to be even more of a rough night for him now. I feel like I’ve got that fire in my belly. I just can’t wait to get in there and get it done.”

“I feel like that’s why this fight is different. He knows I’m a tough fight for him, and I know he’s a tough fight for me, and it’s a mutual respect thing as martial artists,” Ellenor added. “I feel like we both know we’re going to have our work cut out for us that night, so I feel like that’s why it’s a little bit different between us to what it’s been in the past.”

James Gallagher: Mike Kimbel’s vulgar comment about my mother led to Bellator media day scuffle

James Gallagher says he threw the first punch because he wasn’t about to let the Instagram comment slide.

LONDON – At Thursday’s Bellator Europe 6 media day, all eyes were on two competitors not competing on this weekend’s card.

Before the interview proceedings even started, a scuffle broke out between Bellator Europe 7 headliner [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] and fellow Bellator featherweight [autotag]Mike Kimbel[/autotag].

In a wild sequence of events, Gallagher allegedly walked up to Kimbel and punched him square in the face. Who alleges this? Gallagher himself.

Why did Gallagher strike Kimbel? The brash Irish up-and-comer gave his side of the story when speaking to MMA Junkie. According to Gallagher, Kimbel had long talked trash about him. However, things escalated when Kimbel made a vulgar joke about Gallagher’s mother on Instagram.

“He’s 2-4 or something like this, but he was talking a lot of (expletive) about me,” Gallagher said. “He was saying my name all the time, running me down, saying a lot of hateful, annoying things. But that’s cool. Say what you want about me. I understand the fight game.

“… Then he took it a bit too far and took a screenshot of a picture off of my Instagram. I posted up a picture of me and my mum coming to visit me in Dublin. I brought her out for dinner, and we got a picture outside the restaurant. I was like, ‘Such a good weekend seeing my mother.’ And he screenshotted it and put it up and goes, ‘She should have swallowed the sperm cells that have made this.'”

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Talk all you want trying to hype a fight, Gallagher said. However, when you talk about somebody’s mother, that’s where he draws the line. Disrespecting women is the lowest of the low in Gallagher’s eyes.

“For me as a young man, I don’t disrespect women like that,” Gallagher said. “That’s the lowest of the lowest. I would never disrespect any grown woman, nevermind my mother. Not only has he disrespected a woman that I know, he disrespected a woman that I love to bits. A woman that has made me the man I am.

“And that was it. I didn’t say nothing else. I just left it at that. And he asked last month, could he come to Dublin. I said, ‘Yeah, of course you can come to Dublin. You might not get back out, though. You might not.’ Might’ve, might not, whatever. But when I saw him today for the first time, I didn’t say nothing else to him. I just walked up and smacked him with a left hook on the chin, and that was that. Don’t speak about my mother again.”

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Despite the heat between the two featherweights, Gallagher asserted he’d never fight Kimbel in an actual MMA bout. However, if Kimbel ever says anything else about Gallagher’s mother, the Irishman indicated fisticuffs will come outside the cage once again.

“I will never ever fight Mike Kimbel in an MMA contest – ever,” Gallagher said. “We can leave it at that now. … If I’m somewhere, don’t come. Don’t come. Don’t be around me. Don’t say nothing about me. Get on your way, do your thing, and that’s it. There is no revenge that can satisfy me about what he said about my mother.

“… The biggest (regret) is that I didn’t get him in a room on my own and that there was people here able to hold him back and hold me back. That’s the only regret that I’ve got. Nothing else. He’s a lucky, lucky man – a kid. A stupid little kid. He’s lucky.”

Watch the video above to hear Gallagher’s full breakdown of the Kimbel altercation.

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WATCH: James Gallagher and Mike Kimbel get heated at Bellator Europe 6 media day

James Gallagher wasn’t about to let some cheap shots about his mother slide.

Things got heated between [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Kimbel[/autotag] during Bellator Europe 6 media day.

Though neither fighter will be competing Saturday night, both were on hand for Thursday’s festivities in London. The altercation appears to have stemmed from a comment that Kimbel made on an Instagram post of Gallagher with his mother.

According to a post on Sherdogs forums, the since-deleted Instagram post was a vulgar shot at Gallagher’s mom. Kimbel also said “now let me murk him” in a separate birthday post by Bellator’s official Instagram.

At media day, Gallagher and Kimbel shouted expletives and threats at each other from across the room. They had to be restrained from the potential brawl that was brewing. Bellator Europe 6 headliner Michael Page and co-headliner Mike Shipman had to step in, according to MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, who was on the scene. Gallagher was so upset that, at one point, he turned on Page, who was simply trying to keep the peace.

You can watch the chaotic scene unfold in the video above.

While Kimbel doesn’t currently have a fight booked, James Gallagher is set to headline Bellator Europe 7 vs. Cal Ellenor on Feb. 22 in Dublin.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor to headline Bellator Europe 7 in Dublin on Feb. 22

James Gallagher will play the starring role once again on home soil as Bellator returns to Dublin in February 2020.

The first European Series event of Bellator’s 2020 schedule has been confirmed, with the promotion announcing its return to Dublin, Ireland on Feb. 22.

The atmospheric 3Arena will play host to Bellator Europe 7, which will be headlined by the organization’s biggest Irish star, bantamweight [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag], who will take on England’s [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag].

The pair were originally booked to face off at Bellator Europe 4 in September, but issues with Ellenor’s brain scans forced the Sunderland native off the card, as the Englishman released an emotional statement explaining his situation.

Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) stayed on the card and defeated short-notice replacement Roman Salazar via guillotine choke in just 35 seconds, while Ellenor (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) chased a second opinion on his scans and subsequently received the news that he was cleared to fight again.

“Ellenor has been medically cleared by a licensed physician to return to active competition, following an incorrect reading initially provided by a doctor in South Africa,” explained Bellator via a press release announcing the rearranged fight.

“Bellator MMA, as well as the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations, which oversees the organization’s international events, maintains that athletes pass all medical requirements, ensuring they are held to the highest standards in safety and regulation.”

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Now Gallagher and Ellenor are set to face off at the second time of asking, at the same venue, in February, with Gallagher looking to register the 11th win of his professional career, and Ellenor bidding to claim his second straight victory under the Bellator banner.

Also announced for the Feb. 22 card is a trio of fights featuring Irish fighters. [autotag]Philip Mulpeter[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will look for another victory in Dublin when he drops down to lightweight to take on former BAMMA featherweight champion [autotag]Daniel Crawford[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 0-2 BMMA), while [autotag]Ryan Roddy[/autotag] (8-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) welcomes undefeated Scot [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) to the Bellator cage in a second lightweight matchup.

Former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has also been booked for the card. He’ll take on [autotag]Arunas Andriuskevicus[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at 205 pounds.

Confirmed fights for Bellator Europe 7 include:

  • James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor
  • Philip Mulpeter vs. Daniel Crawford
  • Ryan Roddy vs. Chris Duncan
  • Karl Moore vs. Arunas Andriuskevicus