It was announced earlier this week that the undefeated James Gallagher will make his second Bellator MMA appearance against Kirill Medvedovsky (7-3) on the promotion’s first-ever fight card in Tel Aviv, Israel onNovember 10.

Facing a tough task with Medvedovsky

His opponent, Medvedovsky, is yet to fight under the Bellator MMA banner but has vastly more experience than him with a professional record of 7-3. He looks a dangerous man on paper and Gallagher knows he must be at his best if he is to come out victorious on fight night.

“He’s a very good guy and he’s a Jiu Jitsu brown belt,” he said. “He’s had a few Muay Thai fights as well so he’s obviously no dozer on the feet. He has a solid record and he comes to fight. He’s not going to run away like my last opponent.

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“If he needs to, he will grit down in there and he will be up for a scrap. He’s technical and got a good skillset, but I know already I’m going to be too much for him. Whenever I have a big test in front of me I rise to the occasion. He will bring out the best in me and I’ll show everyone how good I really am—they definitely didn’t see that in my first Bellator fight. I got to be on the ball and work hard and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Getting the finish in Israel

Gallagher is well aware of that fans and his bosses want to see finishes. He promises this time around in Israel he will put on a show, and finish Medvedovsky in devastating style.

“I’m going to go out there and put him away,” Gallagher said. “As always, I’m going for the finish and I feel it’s going to come quickly. He’s going to come to fight and he’s going to get caught up in it all and find himself in trouble. I’m too experienced for it all. I’m a pro-amateur fighter and it’s going to be my twenty-third fight.

“I’m going to confuse him, I’m going crack him with a few shots and then I’m going to finish him. That’s how it will happen—he will find himself in trouble, try to fight out of it, but just get himself in deeper, and deeper trouble. It won’t take long for me to finish him.”

Relishing being the bad guy

As a native Israeli, Medvedovsky will have the support of the home crowd who will no doubt turn up in force for Bellator’s first-ever event there. While some may fear playing the role of the villain, Gallagher is relishing the opportunity and says he can’t wait to spoil Medvedovsky’s night.

“It’s going to be against me and I know I won’t be very liked over there,” Gallagher said. “I feel like I’m going to be good at being the bad guy. I’ve experienced it before in my career and it only brought out the best in me. To be honest, I think I like it more than people liking me.

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“What could be better than bossing someone in their own backyard and in front of their own people—it doesn’t get much better than that. I loved to travel the world and fight in different places. I know there is a job to be done though and he’s going to be in for a bad night at home.”

Living the fighter lifestyle under the guidance of John Kavanagh

Gallagher is considered one of Ireland’s hottest prospects and trains under John Kavanagh at SBG. At just 19 years old, Gallagher has settled quickly into life as a professional fighter and it’s obvious he’s loving every single minute of it.  

“I eat, sleep, train, see my girlfriend, and see my family—that it’s, I do nothing else and I don’t want to do anything else,” Gallagher said. “I train with John every morning Monday to Friday and I work with my cardio and health coach, Seán Kinane in the evenings.

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“I have the perfect setup here and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I stay fit all year round, I feel like I could go in there next week with they asked. I have amazing training partners at SBG--all types of sizes and styles. It's the best the gym in world and I wouldn't rather be in any other place.”

Shutting out the haters

Having attracted so much attention and lucrative sponsorship deals at a young age, Gallagher has had to make sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself and stay grounded. Suffice to say, the ‘Strabanimal’ as he is nicknamed, has a wise head on young shoulders and isn’t buying into his own hype.

“There have been a lot of people have closed up on me and just aren’t being the same with me anymore,” Gallagher said. “It even happens in Strabane sometimes, where I’m from. Not everyone acts the same around me, but that’s ok. I just shut those people out and say ‘see you later’. I’ll never speak to them again, they make my job easy.

“It can be amazing sometimes though, I can just be walking down the street and kids will ask me to stop and take pictures and want autographs. It’s weird, people I even went to school with want pictures with me—I’m like this is crazy, just a minute ago we were sat at school together.”

On a mission for gold

Like all fighters, Gallagher has his eyes on becoming the champion of his division and becoming the Bellator MMA featherweight title holder. While that’s the ultimate goal, Gallagher isn’t getting ahead of himself and knows there is a job to be done in Israel.  

“I’m pleased with what I’ve done so far but I’m nowhere near my goals,” he said. “I’ve still so much to achieve and I’m not getting ahead of myself. I need to think about what’s in front of me in Israel and just keep climbing the ladder all the way to the title. I want to be more active and fight five times a year if possible. I will tell the Bellator guys that when I see them in Israel.

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“I want to bring Bellator to Dublin and fight all over the world. Until there’s a world title sat beside me, I won't feel like I've achieved anything.”