James Gallagher to headline Bellator’s return to Dublin

Bellator will return to Dublin next February and James Gallagher will aim to close the show out with a bang.

Gallagher will be hoping to rebound from the first defeat of his professional career when he headlines the Bellator card on February 23 in Dublin's 3Arena. On Monday morning, Bellator announced their third show in Ireland's capital and Gallagher is just one of many homegrown talents fans can likely expect to feature on the card after Scott Coker signed up 16 Irish fighters earlier this year. Gallagher (7-1) has been booked to fight Steven Graham, an American bantamweight who is riding an impressive five-fight win streak and will represent a tough test for the Irishman in the main event. https://twitter.com/TicketmasterIre/status/1072045767769116672 'The Strabanimal' remains one of the most highly-touted prospects in mixed martial arts and went 7-0 before his shocking knockout defeat to Ricky Bandejas in August. Gallagher submitted six of his seven opponents prior to Bellator 204 and is renowned for his trash talk, having been compared to Straight Blast Gym teammate Conor McGregor in the past for his finishing ability and divisive personality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca0_Msum9AU After signing for Bellator in 2016, Gallagher told SportsJOE that he owed "everything" to head coach John Kavanagh, who allowed the Tyrone bantamweight to live with him as a teenager. The rest of the card will be confirmed in the coming weeks and tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, December 12 at 9am.