Bellator is back in Dublin this week. If you’re interested in the goings-on at SBG Ireland, you’re in luck. The card is loaded with fighters from that gym, including James Gallagher, who faces Steven Graham in the main event.
Gallagher is one of the most hyped prospects on the Bellator roster. Gallagher is a brash and cocksure Irish fighter who, despite losing his most recent fight by knockout, has never wavered in the belief he will one day become a world champion.
The co-main event bout between Myles Price and Peter Queally is a grudge match of sorts, with Queally taking particular offense at Price’s past choice of training partners.
Bellator 217 takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN via tape delay. Prelims stream on MMAjunkie.
Inside, check out five reasons to watch the event.
1. Back on the tracks
The Gallagher hype train ran into a brick wall at full speed when Ricky Bandejas scored a decisive knockout victory at 2:49 of the first round over the brash Irishman at Bellator 204.
After the loss, which was the first of his career, Gallagher was unbowed, writing on Instagram that he would bounce back from the loss and that “It’ll be the best thing that ever happened me!! I’ll take it on the chin ( literally) and move on.”
In November, Gallagher doubled down on that statement, writing, “Contracts signed, opponent is irrelevant. The only thing relevant is improved skill set, performance and winning. The jimmy show is back. I’m coming to make a statement.”
Gallagher, who trains out of SBG Ireland, does need to make a statement in Dublin. The 22-year-old has been very outspoken, some would say cocky, when it comes to promoting himself. With his loss to Bandejas, Gallagher (7-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) knows he’ll have more than a handful of fans and fighters who are hoping he – quite literally – falls flat when he meets Graham (6-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a bantamweight scrap at 3Arena.
Graham, who makes the trip from the United States for Bellator 217, has finishes in his past five outings. The 28-year-old has not gone the distance in his career. All but one of his fights has ended in the first round.
2. Irish showdown
SBG Ireland coach John Kavanagh called the matchup between Price and Queally “the biggest domestic fight that Ireland has ever had.” That might be the reason the lightweight scrap is in the co-headlining spot at Bellator 217.
Price (10-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a former teammate of Queally’s (11-4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). The two trained together at SBG Ireland, but Price left that camp to train at another Irish gym, Team Ryano. He also ventured to the States to spend some time at American Kickboxing Academy at the same time UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was training at that facility for his UFC 229 bout against Conor McGregor. That move did not sit well with Queally. And the time Price spent at AKA has not been forgotten by his opponent at Bellator 217.
As for Price, he said that he did not go to AKA for any reason but to improve his own skill set.
Queally is coming off a May knockout win on a Fight Nights Global card. Price lost his most recent bout when he dropped a unanimous decision to former UFC fighter Norman Parke.
3. Now that the jitters are out of the way
Kiefer Crosbie came into Bellator 211 with some hype behind him. The SBG Ireland product was 4-0 at the time with four stoppage victories, including two first-round stoppages via elbows under the BAMMA banner.
A confident and aggressive fighter, who sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him inside the cage, Crosbie made his Bellator debut against the more experienced Orlando D’Ambrosio on December 1.
Crosbie fought a very smart fight against D’Ambrosio. He paced himself well, picked his spots and never put himself out of position on the way to a decision win. The thing about that is, it was also a very safe style of fighting, something he did not display in his bouts outside the Bellator cage.
It will be interesting to see what type of approach Crosbie (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) brings when the Irish fighter faces Northern Ireland’s Daniel Olejniczak in front of the Dublin crowd. Olejniczak (3-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is coming off a TKO win at Clan Wars 33.
4. A new promotion, a new opportunity
Richie Smullen was a cast member on Season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Smullen never got the opportunity to step into the octagon while on the show. He suffered a significant leg cramp moments before his scheduled bout against Allan Zuniga and the fight was waved off. Smullen did get a chance to fight for the UFC when he faced Louis Pena on the TUF 27 Finale card. Pena wrapped up that fight at the 3:32 mark of the first round via a guillotine choke.
The loss was the first of Smullen’s young professional career. Smullen (3-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who trains out of SBG Ireland, joined Bellator in July 2018, makes his promotional debut against Adam Gustab in Dublin. Gustab (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) began his career on a 3-0 run, but he has been stopped in each of his past three outings. Like Smullen, Gustab makes his Bellator debut on this card.
Of the two fighters, Smullen is the bigger name, but his reputation has taken a bit of a hit due to his brief tenure with the UFC, he’ll be under pressure to show that he is a better fighter than he displayed during that time.
5. Rising through the ranks
Olga Rubin was unbeaten and unranked when she stepped into the Bellator cage in November to face the much more experienced Cindy Dandois at Bellator 209. Despite her inexperience, Rubin, who has been working with former UFC fighter Brad Pickett, looked relaxed and composed during her fight with Dandois.
When that fight came to an end, Rubin became the fourth woman to defeat Dandois. The other three, Alexis Davis, Tonya Evinger and Yana Kunitskaya have all fought for UFC titles. Rubin, who is now the No. 10 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s featherweight rankings, is slowly closing in on a shot at Julia Budd’s title.
Rubin faces Iony Razafiarison at Bellator 217. Like Rubin, Razafiarison enters this bout coming off a decision win over Dandois. She won that bout on February 2 on a European Beatdown card.
For more on Bellator 217, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
