The return of James Gallagher, and his bantamweight debut, went horribly wrong at Bellator 204, as the Irish star ate his words, and a series of blows that turned out the lights Friday night against Ricky Bandejas.
Bellator 204 on Friday saw the return of the ‘StrabAnimal’ James Gallagher, who after time off to deal with injuries was dropping down to bantamweight. There, Ricky Bandejas was waiting to welcome the Irish star, who happens to train with Conor McGregor at SBG Ireland. Gallagher vs. Bandejas aired as part of the event’s main card, live from Sioux Falls, SD on the Paramount Network.
The fight was expected to be Gallagher’s coming out party at bantamweight. Bandejas was an afterthought, but apparently, no one gave him the memo.
Some pre-fight taunting saw set the stage for Gallagher vs. Bandejas, as Gallagher looked to get in his opponent’s head. A pair of leg kicks opened the action for Gallagher, but before long, Bandejas caught one and dumped him on his back. He couldn’t capitalize, however, and soon the Irish fighter was back up. More leg kicks followed, but again, Bandejas caught one, but this time he could do nothing with it. Instead they found themselves in a clinch, with Gallagher launching a knee off the break. Another leg kick led to Gallagher getting dumped again, before Gallagher moved in for a takedown. Bandejas, however, popped right back up. He then connected with a huge right hand, dropping Gallagher! Gallagher then ate a kick to the face, and Ricky Bandejas swarmed! Blow after blow, and Bandejas had the finish, adding in some taunting of his own at the end.
Cooler heads prevailed after the fight, with Gallagher raising his opponent’s hand in victory. The loss drops Gallagher to 7-1, and may see him head back to featherweight, though that remains to be seen.
Ricky Bandejas def. James Gallagher by knockout, Round 1, 2:49
