For James Gallagher (3-0), it’s a dream come true when he steps foot in the Bellator 158 cage on July 16th. Gallaher will collide with Mike Cutting (6-5) at the 02 Arena in London, and he’s already set his sights beyond this special date.
The KHK MMA prospect, who hails from Strabane in Northern Ireland, is about to fight on the biggest stage of his career, having amassed three impressive submission wins in his first three professional fights.
Yet Gallagher has lofty ambitions in the fight game and is already looking beyond the Englishman, Cutting.
“I’m working towards the belt, not this fight. I’m training every day to get the belt and I’m not stopping until I get it,” he said. “Since I was 13 I have been dreaming about this, working my way towards this and now I’ll be fighting at the O2 in front of 10,000 people. And that’s why I’m here.”
His opponent has expressed his desire for the fight to go to the mat, where James is also very comfortable.
Cutting, the man they call “Gip”, has won all of his fights via submission, similar to the “Strabanimal” Gallagher. But when asked about his opponent, the Irishman representing Bahrain and KHK MMA has dismissed Cutting’s chances immediately and is looking towards the next step.
“Who’s he? Who’s he training with? There’s a reason I am here training with the best and I will show on July 16th, what that reason is,” he said. “I imagine going in there, submitting him in the first round, then September we’ll go again in the states. I’m going in to make a statement, so that Bellator takes notice.”
The 10,000 capacity at the O2 Arena will be a situation far removed from the smaller crowds Gallagher is used to, especially as they are fighting in “Gip’s” back yard. Many prospects have crumbled in the past having stepped into a big, hostile arena too soon and with not enough experience.
However the “Strabanimal” actually believes that the occasion will favor him due to the amount of his own support he will be bringing.
“It’s not going to be hostile at all, it will be more like the home show for me,” he said. “The amount of people paying their hard earned money to come and support me, just because they admire what I’m doing, nobody can take that feeling away from me, it’s special.”
He added:
“Where I come from no one has ever done this kind of thing before so it feels amazing to do that.”
