With a little over a week to go before the lights shine down on the Bellator cage in Dublin, the organization faces a major headache ahead of fight night on Sept. 27.
The headline star of the Bellator Europe 4 card, James Gallagher, finds himself without an opponent after it was revealed his scheduled dance partner, Cal Ellenor, had been forced off the card through injury.
Had it been a less pivotal matchup for the event, Bellator could simply have opted to scrap the contest and tell “The Strabanimal” to stand down and wait for another card. The card does feature a whopping 19 fights, after all.
However, Gallagher (9-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) is, quite literally, Bellator’s poster boy for this event. Stepping him down would be tantamount to disaster. So, finding a replacement is a must as Bellator seeks to keep the top of the fight card intact.
But, with just over a week to go, finding someone of the required level, on such short notice, is a tough ask. So, not for the first time, we’ve stepped into Rich Chou’s Jimmy Choos and found four potential options for the Bellator matchmaker to consider.
The Hype Killer: Chris Disonell
When Chris Disonell stepped up at short notice to face touted bantamweight prospect Mike Kimbel at Bellator 225, he arrived on fight night believing he knew something a lot of people – including Kimbel – didn’t. His first-round finish was considered by some to be a surprise result, but not by Disonell (4-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who vowed to continue to upset the odds as he climbs the bantamweight ladder.
Disonell stepping in to face Gallagher would offer him a similar type of task against a bigger-named opponent and, if his post-fight interview at Bellator 225 is any guide, the 26-year-old New Yorker might well be down for a short-notice hop across the pond.
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The Rematch: Ricky Bandejas
Ricky Bandejas’ stunning first-round finish of Gallagher at Bellator 204 last year gave the New Jersey native the perfect start to life in Bellator, but back-to-back losses then saw him drop down the 135-pound pecking order. But an impressive KO win over Ahmet Kayretli at Bellator 225 has put Bandejas (12-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) back in the win column and targeting some of the division’s bigger names once more.
Under normal circumstances he may have needed another fight before facing a top name but, with Gallagher needing a short-notice opponent, with the history between the pair, and with Bandejas potentially looking to fast-track his way back into contendership, booking the rematch might just make sense for everyone involved, though Bandejas clearly has his doubts over whether Gallagher would accept a rematch.
The Bump-Up: Dominique Wooding
One option available to Bellator officials could be to promote up the card someone already booked for the event, and Dominique Wooding (6-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) might just be the ideal pick.
The Londoner is already booked to fight at bantamweight, so no short-notice catchweight would be needed, and “The Black Panther” has already made no secret of his desire to face off with Gallagher after calling for the fight following his first-round knockout of David Khalsa at Bellator Europe 2 back in May.
He’s done a full fight camp, he’s on weight, and he’s ready to fight. Would he be prepared to change up his opponent from one SBG Ireland fighter to another by swapping Frans Mlambo to Gallagher? I suspect he might be.
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The Wild Card: Jack Cartwright
The least likely outcome of the group, but potentially one of the most intriguing, Bellator could call an audible and draft in a completely new face to test the Dubliner on Sept. 27.
England’s undefeated Jack Cartwright (7-0) defied the odds to knock out two former Cage Warriors bantamweight title challengers, back-to-back, both in the first round as he won the organization’s vacant 135-pound title in spectacular style at Cage Warriors Unplugged 2 earlier this month.
If he was in a position to make a quick turnaround after his stunning display in London, he could potentially present a dangerous substitute opponent who arrives with legitimate credentials.
It’s arguably the riskiest bout for Gallagher to accept, and possibly the trickiest to book. But it could offer a very interesting style matchup as a replacement main event.
