Former Bellator MMA star James Gallagher was set to return to the cage last night, but that ultimately didn’t happen. The alleged cause of his fight’s last-minute cancellation will have fans scratching their heads in confusion.
Gallagher fought twelve times for Bellator between 2016 and 2024. He got off to an impressive start in the promotion, winning his first four fights and finishing by submission three times. However, a knockout loss to Ricky Bandejas in 2018 was the start of a long, hot and cold run for the Irish star, who until then was often compared to Conor McGregor.
When Bellator was absorbed by the PFL last year, Gallagher became a free agent. His Bellator losses and long periods of inactivity have made a move to the UFC unlikely for now, but he’s still fighting, presumably with that goal in mind.
Why did James Gallagher pull out of his planned MMA return?
Gallagher’s last MMA fight took place in June, when he submitted Fabricio Soares in the second round. He was scheduled to return to the cage against Ali AlQaisi at ACA 194 last night in Dubai, but pulled out of the fight at the last minute. The reason? Apparently he didn’t like his warm-up area.
That’s what his opponent AlQaisi says.
Ali AlQaisi enters the cage and says James Gallagher left because he didn’t like the warm-up area backstage. The fight is canceled. Okay then pic.twitter.com/07nSpbAuDk
— Caposa (@Grabaka_hitman) October 23, 2025
If this is true, it is quite surprising. At 29 years old, Gallagher still has a long MMA career ahead of him if he wants it. He certainly seemed excited to compete again in Dubai.
“Tomorrow night I am ready to put on the performance of my life,” he wrote on Instagram, just a day before the fight was scheduled to take place. “Blessed for this opportunity. Let’s do this!”
The Irish MMA star has yet to comment on why he pulled out of his fight in Dubai. We’ll update this story if he does.
ACA 194 was headlined by a heavyweight clash between ONE Championship veteran Amir Aliakbari and MMA journeyman Tony Johnson. Aliakbari won by unanimous decision after five rounds.
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