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Irish protégé Gallagher, 19, set for Bellator debut alongside big names at London's O2 Arena

Much is expected from the SBG product.

IRISH MMA FIGHTERS have already made their mark in the UFC, but this Saturday night will see a young Strabane native aim to extend that success to another one of the biggest stages in mixed martial arts.

Owned by US broadcast giant Viacom, Bellator MMA is in the UK this weekend to hold Bellator 158 at the O2 Arena in London. The event will be headlined by a welterweight bout between ex-UFC contender Paul Daley and Bellator’s former interim champion Douglas Lima. UFC veterans like Matt Mitrione and Francis Carmont, along with highly-touted undefeated Englishman Michael ‘Venom’ Page, are also on the bill.

Flying the Irish flag in Bellator for the first time will be 19-year-old featherweight James Gallagher, who will take on English opponent Mike Cutting in the opening bout on a main card which is set to be broadcast live on Spike TV in the US.

Gallagher (3-0) only made his professional debut last October but — three victories later — it’s an indication of how much is expected from the Straight Blast Gym product that he’s been given a main-card slot for his Bellator debut, while a host of vastly more experienced fighters who have previously competed in the UFC, such as Danny Mitchell and Neil Grove, have to settle for the prelims.

Competing on the global stage in front of a substantial TV audience in the US — Bellator 154 in May peaked at 1.3 million viewers — offers Gallagher a huge opportunity to back up the hype that has accompanied him thus far in his short career.

BAMMA / YouTube

The move to a stage as big as this one probably came sooner than expected, but Gallagher is adamant that he won’t take long to prove why he’ll be the next big thing to emerge from mixed martial arts in Ireland.

“On Saturday night I’m going to make a statement to the rest of the division. I’m not here to mess around. I’m the first of the new wave that has broken through,” said Gallagher at the Bellator 158 pre-event press conference. “I’m ready. This is where I deserve to be. On Saturday night I’ll prove that this is where I deserve to be. I’m coming for the title.”

A regular training partner of the likes of UFC stars Conor McGregor and Gunnar Nelson at SBG on the Naas Road in Dublin, Gallagher left school at the age of 15 to move to Dublin, where he’s been training full-time under the tutelage of his coach and mentor, John Kavanagh.

Gallagher certainly doesn’t lack confidence but he’s eager to show that there’s plenty of substance behind his belief in his abilities. He possesses an audacious striking arsenal, but it’s in the grappling department where Gallagher has so far distinguished himself, as evidenced by the first-round submissions that have ended each his three professional bouts.

With some good wins on his record, the most recent of which was a first-round submission of English prospect Nathaniel Wood under the BAMMA banner, Mike Cutting is certainly no pushover. However, if Gallagher is to make good on his promise to become a Bellator champion within three or four fights, another victory this weekend will be essential.

Bellator 158

Paul Daley vs. Douglas Lima
Matt Mitrione vs. Oli Thompson
Michael Page vs. Evangelista Santos
Łukasz Klinger vs. Francis Carmont
James Gallagher vs. Mike Cutting
Neil Grove vs. James Mulheron
Bola Omoyele vs. Lee Chadwick
Alex Reid vs. Manuel Garcia
Mike Shipman vs. Curtis Widmer
Pietro Menga vs. Spencer Hewitt
Luiz Henrique Tosta vs. Dean Garnett
Jason Radcliffe vs. Jack Mason
Chase Morton vs. Nathaniel Wood
CJ Meeks vs. Danny Mitchell

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