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MMA

27th Mar 2019

James Gallagher extends Bellator deal with next fight set to be announced imminently

"Life-changing shit."

Darragh Murphy

James Gallagher has committed his fighting future to Bellator.

Gallagher announced on Wednesday afternoon that he has put pen to paper on a new six-fight deal with Bellator and revealed that we can expect news of his next fight after the weekend.

‘The Strabanimal’ rebounded from his devastating knockout defeat to Ricky Bandejas last year by bettering his prediction for his fight with Steven Graham in the main event of Bellator Dublin last month.

Gallagher submitted Graham midway through the opening round at the 3Arena and did so in front of Sky Sports’ cameras for the first time, with Bellator having recently agreed an exclusive deal with the UK broadcaster.

Bellator have invested heavily in Irish talent and the promotion is set to return to Dublin in September, when more homegrown fighters will get the opportunity to showcase their skills to an ever-growing audience.

Gallagher boasted that he had signed one of the best contracts in Bellator after signing with Scott Coker’s company three years ago and the new deal would suggest that his conditions have improved yet again.

At 22, Gallagher remains one of the top prospects in MMA and he already has experience beyond his years.

This year will likely see ‘The Strabanimal’ graduate from promising youngster to legitimate contender in Bellator’s bantamweight division, although featherweight also remains in Gallagher’s future plans.

And if we could give some advice to Bellator officials present for Gallagher’s future fights, maybe don’t try to separate him from his mother.