Irish Bellator MMA Star James Gallagher received his Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Blackbelt
It takes lifelong training on the mats to be awarded a Black-belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Irish MMA star & Bellator bantamweight contender James Gallagher received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt after being associated with mixed martial arts for 13 long years.
The fighter nicknamed “The Strabanimal” received his blackbelt in SBG Ireland, this week, as reported by Irish MMA reporter, Andy Stevenson.
Stevenson took on to Twitter to announce the outstanding achievement of Gallagher.
James Gallagher Attains BJJ Blackbelt
Gallagher Starts His MMA Journey
Gallagher first made his name in the local Irish scene when he, as a 13-year-old kid, managed to beat a 21-year-old fighter. His current coach at SBG Ireland, John Kavanaugh, was a judge in that fight and was impressed by the 13-year-old’s performance. While fighting in the local Irish scene, he became friends with Paddy Holohan and future UFC superstar Conor Mcgregor who were all under the tutelage of Kavanaugh at SBG.
What soon followed was his relentless commitment to the sport of MMA, which made him attend both SBG and school during the day. Gallagher would pursue his father into driving 125 miles each way to bring him south to SBG in Dublin from their native Strabane, in county Tyrone. As time management became increasingly tough to balance both lives, Gallagher left school at 15, never to return. With time, he shifted to Dublin to train full-time under Kavanaugh, where he racked up a series of submission victories on the Irish amateur MMA circuit.
His Bellator Journey So Far
After amassing a record of 3-0 in his pro MMA career, Gallagher got a call to sign for Bellator. Being touted as the next Conor Mcgregor, Gallagher didn’t disappoint when he made his Bellator debut as a 19-year-old. Three back-to-back rear-naked choke finishes at featherweight landed Gallagher an opportunity to fight another upcoming contender by the name of Ricky Bandejas, but this time at 135 lbs, where Gallagher intended he would fight. Gallagher entered the fight as a favourite, but he was handed his first-ever professional loss via a devastating knockout at Bellator 204.
After hitting rock bottom with that loss, Gallagher made a turnaround with four back-to-back wins, with three submission victories out of them. James Gallagher is ranked 8th in the Bellator bantamweight rankings and is currently 11-2 in his pro MMA career, with his last bout ending as a submission loss up against current Number 2 ranked bantamweight contender in Patrick “Patchy” Mix. He was scheduled to fight Welsh mixed martial arts veteran Brett Johns at Bellator 285, but for unknown reasons, Gallagher pulled out of the fight
Featured image credits to SBG/James Gallagher
