This Saturday night Ireland's James Gallagher (3-0) will make his Bellator debut after signing with the promotion earlier in the year.
The SBG fighter will face England's Mike Cutting (7-4) in a fight that will open the main card of Bellator 158 in London's O2 Arena.
Irish MMA has a brief history with Bellator but it stems back to the very first Bellator event in 2009. Greg Loughran, who was 18-12 at the time, made his way to Florida where he served as one half of the co-main event opposite Eddie Alvarez (current UFC champion). Loughran would end up losing via guillotine three minutes into the first round.
Fast forward nearly 18 months and Irish MMA would have its second representative enter the Bellator cage when an undefeated Aisling Daly headed to Kansas City to compete at Bellator 26. Going in with a 9-0 record that she amassed over the two years prior, Daly faced American Lisa Ellis in a fight that kicked off the main even of that particular card. Ellis secured the unanimous decision. Both women would go on to compete in the UFC.
Now six years later Irish MMA has someone new willing to break the duck. However, things are different this time around. Bellator is under new management and unlike the previous two fights this one is not the first round of a tournament or happening in the States.
Can James Gallagher become the first Irish MMA fighter to get a win in Bellator?
Please check back tomorrow where we will be giving our preview and prediction of James Gallagher vs. Mike Cutting.
