James Gallagher (fighter)
| James Gallagher | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 24, 1996 Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Featherweight (2015–2018, 2023–present) Bantamweight (2018–2021) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Dublin, Ireland |
| Team | Straight Blast Gym Ireland |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 13 |
| By submission | 10 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
James Gallagher (born 24 October 1996) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. He previously competed in Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League.
Early life
Gallagher was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He began training in martial arts at a young age and gravitated toward mixed martial arts in his early teens. Influenced by the rise of Irish MMA and Conor McGregor, he joined SBG Ireland in Dublin to pursue MMA full-time.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Gallagher began his professional career in 2015, quickly securing a three fights of first-round submission wins on the regional promotion scene in United Kingdom and Ireland before signed with Bellator MMA.[2]
Bellator MMA
On April 7, 2016, it was reported that Gallagher signed with Bellator MMA.[3]
Gallagher made his promotional debut against Mike Cutting on July 16, 2016, at Bellator 158.[4] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[5]
Gallagher was initially scheduled to face Kirill Medvedovsky on November 10, 2016, at Bellator 164.[6] However, the promotion announced that Gallagher was moved to Bellator 169 on December 12, 2016, to served as the co-main event against Anthony Taylor instead.[7] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round three.[8]
The bout with Medvedovsky took place on February 24, 2017, at Bellator 173.[9] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one.[10]
Gallagher faced Chinzo Machida on June 24, 2017, at Bellator 180.[11] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one.[12]
Gallagher was scheduled to face Jeremiah Labiano in the main event on November 10, 2017, at Bellator 187.[13] However, Gallagher was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.[14]
Gallagher was scheduled to face Ádám Borics on April 6, 2018, at Bellator 196.[15] However, Gallagher withdrew from the bout due to suffered a hand injury.[16]
Move down to bantamweight
Gallagher made his bantamweight debut against Ricky Bandejas on August 17, 2018, at Bellator 204.[17] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round, suffered his first professional loss.[18]
Gallagher faced Steven Graham on February 23, 2019, at Bellator 217.[19] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one.[20]
He returned to the cage at Bellator 270 in November 2021 but lost via guillotine choke to Patchy Mix. Gallagher has expressed plans to continue developing his all-around game to return to title contention.[21]
After the end of Bellator Gallagher was set to debut for Absolute Championship Akhmat on ACA 194 against Ali AlQaisi but according to AlQaisi he pulled out last minute because he didn't like the warmup area.[22][23]
Fighting style
Gallagher is a grappling-focused fighter with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The majority of his victories have come by submission, most often by rear-naked choke or guillotine choke. He fights from a southpaw stance and often pressures early to bring opponents to the ground.
Personal life
Gallagher has been open about his struggles with anxiety and mental health, using his platform to speak about the pressures of professional fighting.[24] He is known by the nickname "The Strabanimal" and remains based in Ireland.
Mixed martial arts record
| 16 matches | 13 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 10 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 13–3 | Fabrício Soares | Submission (armbar) | 971 FC 2 | June 14, 2025 | 2 | 4:43 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Leandro Higo | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator Champions Series 1 | March 22, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 12–2 | James Gonzalez | Decision (split) | Bellator 298 | August 11, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 11–2 | Patchy Mix | Submission (guillotine choke) | Bellator 270 | November 5, 2021 | 3 | 0:39 | Dublin, Ireland | Catchweight (137.8 lb) bout; Mix missed weight. |
| Win | 11–1 | Callum Ellenor | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator Milan 3 | October 3, 2020 | 1 | 4:31 | Milan, Italy | |
| Win | 10–1 | Roman Salazar | Submission (guillotine choke) | Bellator 227 | September 27, 2019 | 1 | 0:35 | Dublin, Ireland | Catchweight (145.7 lb) bout; Salazar missed weight. |
| Win | 9–1 | Jeremiah Labiano | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 223 | 22 Jun 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Catchweight (140 lb) bout. |
| Win | 8–1 | Steven Graham | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 217 | February 23, 2019 | 1 | 2:30 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Ricky Bandejas | KO (head kick and punches) | Bellator 204 | August 17, 2018 | 1 | 2:49 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 7–0 | Chinzo Machida | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 180 | June 24, 2017 | 1 | 2:22 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Kirill Medvedovsky | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 173 | February 24, 2017 | 1 | 2:53 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 5–0 | Anthony Taylor | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 169 | July 16, 2016 | 3 | 1:52 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 4–0 | Mike Cutting | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 158 | July 16, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Catchweight (148.3 lb) bout; Cutting missed weight. |
| Win | 3–0 | Gerard Gilmore | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 24 | February 27, 2016 | 1 | 2:55 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 2–0 | Declan McAleenan | Submission (guillotine choke) | Chaos FC 15 | December 5, 2015 | 1 | N/A | Derry, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Denis Ahern | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Kings 3 | October 17, 2015 | 1 | N/A | Cork, Ireland | Featherweight debut. |
See also
References
- ^ "James Gallagher: The Strabanimal rising in Bellator". Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "James Gallagher MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Sloan, Mike. "Bellator Signs Irish Prospect James Gallagher, 'TUF: Brazil 3' Vet Guilherme 'Bomba'". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Staff, Sherdog.com. "Bellator 158 Update: 19-Year-Old Prospect James Gallagher Faces Mike Cutting on Main Card". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Thomas, Luke (2016-07-16). "Bellator 158 results: Douglas Lima earns unanimous decision win over Paul Daley". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Critchfield, Tristen. "James Gallagher to Face Kirill Medvedovsky at Bellator 163 in Israel on Nov. 10". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Starling, Darrien (2016-10-27). "James Gallagher draws Anthony Taylor, vows to 'end his life' in Bellator 169's co-main event". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ "Bellator 169 Results: King Mo Earns Decision Victory Over Satoshi Ishii". www.lowkickmma.com. 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ "SBG-trained fighters James Gallagher, Sinead Kavanagh added to Bellator 173: 'Belfast' on Feb. 24". MMA Mania. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Mindenghall, Chuck (2017-02-24). "Bellator 173 results: Liam McGeary puts away Brett McDermott via second-round doctor stoppage". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Breen, Jordan. "Bellator Boss Confirms James Gallagher-Chinzo Machida for Bellator 180 on 'The MMA Hour'". Sherdog. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ McClory, Mike (2017-06-24). "Bellator 180 Results: James Gallagher Makes Quick Work of Chinzo Machida". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ^ Carroll, Peter (2017-08-09). "James Gallagher to meet Jeremiah Labiano in Bellator Dublin main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Helwani, Ariel (2017-10-11). "James Gallagher injured, out of Bellator 187 main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2018-02-08). "Bellator 196 Heads to Hungary, James Gallagher vs. Adam Borics Set for Main Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Guillen, Adam (2018-03-12). "Ben Henderson vs Roger Huerta headlines Bellator 196 on April 6 in Budapest". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Guillen, Adam (2018-08-13). "James Gallagher is back at Bellator 204 and the entire Bantamweight division is now screwed". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2018-08-17). "Bellator 204 Results: James Gallagher Eats His Words and More, Knocked Out by Ricky Bandejas". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2018-12-10). "Bellator: Gallagher vs. Graham Announced for Dublin, Ireland". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-02-23). "Bellator 217 Results: James Gallagher Chokes Steven Graham In First". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ^ Sports, Simon Samano | USA TODAY. "Bellator 270 results: Patchy Mix submits James Gallagher in battle of guillotines". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
- ^ Staff, BJ Penn (2025-10-24). "Former Bellator MMA star allegedly bails on fight 'because he didn't like the warmup area back stage' | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ "Conor McGregor's protégé accused of last-second refusal to fight after strange backstage issue". bloodyelbow.com. 2025-10-23. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ "James Gallagher on mental health in MMA". Retrieved 2025-07-11.
External links
- James Gallagher at Sherdog
- James Gallagher at Tapology