Paul Daley and James Gallagher know who their fighting next.
Both fighters previously had been revealed as competitors at Bellator London, but on Tuesday their opponents for the June 22 fight card were announced during a press conference. Daley is set to meet Erick Silva in a welterweight bout, while Gallagher will take on Jeremiah Labiano at bantamweight from The SSE Arena, Wembley in London.
Daley (40-17-2 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) and Silva (20-10 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) both will be looking to rebound from losses in their previous bouts. In February, Daley dropped a close unanimous decision to heated rival Michael Page in the welterweight grand prix at Bellator 216. That same night, Silva, a former longtime veteran of the UFC, made an unsuccessful Bellator debut by dropping a unanimous decision to Yaroslav Amosov.
Both Daley and Silva have struggled overall as of late. Daley has lost four of six fights dating back to July 2016, including a current two-fight losing streak. Silva, meanwhile, has lost five of his last seven bouts dating back to August 2015. His most recent victory came last year under the LFA banner.
Gallagher (8-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA), one of Bellator’s brightest and loudest prospects, will look to build off the momentum of his rebound victory in February, when he submitted Steven Graham in the Bellator 217 main event from his hometown of Dublin. The victory was Gallagher’s response to the first loss of his career last year against Ricky Bandejas.
Labiano (12-6 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) has made five appearances under the Bellator banner, most recently topping Justin Smitley by TKO last September.
With the addition, the Bellator London lineup now includes:
- Champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. – for middleweight title
- Paul Daley vs. Erick Silva
- James Gallagher vs. Jeremiah Labiano
- Aaron Chalmers vs. opponent TBA
- Denise Kieholz vs. opponent TBA
For more on Bellator London, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
