James Gallagher (fighter)
| James Gallagher | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Gallagher October 24, 1996 Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Other names | The Strabanimal |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 66 in (170 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Ireland |
| Team | SBG Ireland |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 16 |
| Wins | 13 |
| By knockout | 0 |
| By submission | 10 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 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 bantamweight division. He is best known for his time in Bellator MMA, where he gained recognition for his submission grappling skills and confident personality. A native of Strabane, Northern Ireland, Gallagher trains at SBG Ireland under coach John Kavanagh.
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 number of first-round submission wins on the European MMA scene. His undefeated start caught the attention of Bellator MMA, and he signed with the promotion in 2016.
Bellator MMA
Gallagher made his promotional debut at Bellator 158 in July 2016, defeating Mike Cutting by unanimous decision. He followed this with a string of victories, including a notable first-round submission win over Chinzo Machida at Bellator 180 in New York City.[2]
Gallagher suffered his first professional loss against Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204, where he was knocked out in the first round.[3] Despite the setback, he rebounded with multiple wins, including submissions over Steven Graham and Cal Ellenor.
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.[4]
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 didnt like the warmup area.[5][6]
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.[7] 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 | 14 Jun 2025 | 2 | 4:43 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 12–3 | James Gonzalez | Decision (Unanimous) | Bellator Champions Series | 22 Mar 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 12–2 | James Gonzalez | Decision (Split) | Bellator 298 | 11 Aug 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Sioux Falls, United States | |
| Loss | 11–2 | Patchy Mix | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Bellator 270 | 5 Nov 2021 | 3 | 0:39 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 11–1 | Cal Ellenor | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Bellator Euro Series 9 | 3 Oct 2020 | 1 | 4:31 | Milan, Italy | |
| Win | 10–1 | Roman Salazar | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Bellator 227 | 27 Sep 2019 | 1 | 0:35 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 9–1 | Jeremiah Labiano | Decision (Unanimous) | Bellator 223 | 22 Jun 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 8–1 | Steven Graham | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Bellator 217 | 23 Feb 2019 | 1 | 2:30 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Ricky Bandejas | TKO (Head Kick & Punches) | Bellator 204 | 24 Jun 2018 | 1 | 2:49 | Sioux Falls, United States | Bantamweight debut |
| Win | 7–0 | Chinzo Machida | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Bellator NYC | 24 Jun 2017 | 1 | 2:22 | New York City, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Kirill Medvedovski | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Bellator 173 | 24 Feb 2017 | 1 | 2:53 | Belfast, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 5–0 | Anthony Taylor | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Bellator 169 - King Mo vs. Ishii | 16 Jul 2016 | 3 | 1:52 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 4–0 | Mike Cutting | Decision (Unanimous) | Bellator 158 - Daley vs. Lima | 16 Jul 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | London, United Kingdom | Catchweight - 145lbs |
| Win | 3–0 | Gerard Gilmore | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | BAMMA 24 - Kone vs. Phillips | 27 Feb 2016 | 1 | 2:55 | Derry, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 2–0 | Declan McAleenan | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | CFC - Chaos Fighting Championships 15 | 5 Dec 2015 | 1 | ?:?? | Derry, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Denis Ahern | Submision (Rear-naked choke) | CK - Cage Kings 3 | 17 Oct 2015 | 1 | ?:?? | Cork, Ireland | Featherweight debut. |
See also
References
- ^ "James Gallagher: The Strabanimal rising in Bellator". Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ "James Gallagher Bellator Profile". Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2018-08-18). "Bellator 204 Results: James Gallagher Eats His Words and More, Knocked Out by Ricky Bandejas". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
- ^ 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
- James Gallagher at Bellator