Now cleared to fight after a scary misdiagnosis, Cal Ellenor is once again set to face off with James Gallagher in the Bellator cage.
After originally being scrapped due to a medical scare, James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor is back on. Bellator officials announced Wednesday via social media that the pair would headline February’s Bellator: Dublin card.
🚨 DUBLIN MAIN EVENT 🚨
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After the unfortunate cancellation of their fight, @StrabanimalMMA and @CalPacinoMMA will square off on Sat, Feb. 22 at #BellatorDublin!
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🎟️ on sale, Fri, Nov. 29 at 9 a.m. GMT, with pre-sale scheduled for Weds. pic.twitter.com/ai3D7I7SIr— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) November 20, 2019
The duo were originally linked to a bout at Bellator 227 in September. However, Ellenor was subsequently diagnosed with a scary medical condition after a brain scan turned up abnormalities. In an Instagram post, Ellenor noted that the condition likely meant retirement.
However, in announcing the new pairing, Bellator revealed that Ellenor was misdiagnosed, and had been cleared to return to competition.
Ellenor (8-2) is 3-1 across his last four fights, and won his Bellator MMA debut at Bellator: Newcastle earlier this year. That led to the pairing with Gallagher, one of Bellator’s biggest prospects out of Europe.
‘The StrabAnimal’ is a teammate of Conor McGregor over at SBG Ireland, and has won three straight bouts since suffering the first loss of his career against Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 204. Gallagher (10-1) fought UFC vet Roman Salazar in the wake of Ellenor’s removal from their September fight, submitting him within a round.
Bellator: Dublin is set to take place February 22, 2020 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.