Once billed as Bellator’s answer to Conor McGregor, Irish fighter James Gallagher has had a rocky two years. He lost to Patchy Mix via submission in his last outing two years ago, and lost his coach and his gym in the aftermath of James Krause’s blackballing from the world of MMA.
Ahead of his decision win over James Gonzalez at Bellator 298, Gallagher told MMAFighting that his comeback is only just beginning.
James Gallagher’s Bellator Comeback Story
“I’m not pissed off. The only thing I can get pissed off about is the work that I haven’t done and fortunately for me, I’ve ticked all those boxes. I’ve done what needed to be done. I’ve got nothing to be pissed off about.
You can be frustrated or else you can be positive about it. I’m positive. I can’t be f****** with anymore with that type of mindset. You can’t f*** with someone with a positive mindset. I don’t have problems, I have solutions.”
Gallagher credits his optimism for his success. “The gym was taken away from me — people can take everything away from you.
They can come and take your f****** house. They can take your car. They can take your f****** money. They can take the clothes off your back.
One thing people can’t take is your mindset and your outlook. That’s the only thing you’ve got truly. You really don’t got f****** anything else so when you have that mindset, these things don’t become problems.
I just see it as a challenge. Obviously it’s difficult. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s fun and it’s challenging and no one can take that away from me. That’s why I’m really proud of myself.”
The Irishman is well aware of the hype surrounding his return. “I feel like when you’re given all this hype, you’re kind of at a stage where you’re doing what everyone else wants you to do or what everyone else expects you to do.
It becomes tedious. It’s like ‘he should be doing this’ or ‘he should be doing that.’ People forget, I do whatever the f*** I want to do. I fight the fights I want. That’s how it is. You just block out that noise.
It’s great to have all these big fights and all this hype but ultimately what I do it for is myself and for the people close to me. The people that really know me. The people that actually know me.
My people. Everyone that supports me, that’s what I do it for. All the hype, all the criticism, all the people who write me off because I’ve been off for two years and coming off a loss, those people don’t even f****** know me!”
