Bellator Dublin: Peter Queally ready to kickstart another comeback streak
- Published
Peter Queally returns to the Bellator cage in February in Dublin
Peter Queally is looking forward to adding another comeback chapter to his legacy when he returns to action on 25 February at Bellator Dublin.
The Irishman is no stranger to disappointments and there was none greater than his loss to Patricky 'Pitbull' Freire in a lightweight world title fight in his hometown in November.
It was meant to be Queally's crowning moment on a historic night for Irish MMA as Bellator hosted Ireland's first major world title fight featuring one of their own.
Queally was left "devastated" by the defeat. He forged ahead with a pre-planned trip to Norway after the fight, swimming with whales to keep his mind off the loss.
It was the sixth of Queally's pro career and the 32-year-old plans to get back on track against England's Kane Mousah inside the same venue where he suffered his biggest disappointment. Freire became lightweight champion with the thrilling stoppage victory and Queally is remarkably full of praise for the man who broke his heart two months ago in Dublin.
"I know he was throwing hard shots but none of them hurt me but there was that one moment," Queally tells BBC Sport.
"It was expertly done. I give him every bit of credit in the world for getting it. It was such a nice counter. He got me. I can see why the referee stopped it.
"I did what I told myself I wouldn't do. I told myself I wouldn't lunge in with anything and I did. He countered me and that was it. It was my own fault. Stick to my plan, don't get carried away is the lesson there."
Queally says fans shouldn't expect a totally new 'Showstopper' when he returns either. He explains: "You can't throw out everything just because you lost one fight. Guys do that but you just need to make small changes."
Mousah should be an excellent match for Queally. The duo know each other well and Queally has been impressed by improvements the 35-year-old has made in recent years, even if those performances have not always resulted in wins.
"You tend to know everyone who is fighting in the UK and Ireland. He's an excellent fighter," Queally says.
"A very good record. His last two fights have been stylistically pleasing, which makes me happy. I think it'll be a good fight."
He adds: "I hope he fights me like he did in his last one - that would be good. He'd a great fight there and although he lost it I thought he looked excellent in it. One of his best fights.
"That's what I'm hoping for. He was little bit more boring in his early days, he used to wrestle a lot more. But he seems to have found his stride in the last few fights so that's what I'm expecting."
Mousah is 13-4 in his pro career and like Queally comes into the February fight off the back of a defeat on home turf in London last October. The 35-year-old will look to take a leaf out of Freire's book when he arrives at the 3Arena, riding the wave of emotion from a fervent Irish crowd before pulling the trigger.
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But Queally remains a confident man and believes an impressive win will fire him right back into title contention.
"You just have to be positive, win the fights and hope a bit of fortune falls your way," Queally predicts.
"Things go my way, if I really beat Kane well, Patricky might insist on fighting me. You don't know what can happen.
"I've beaten Patricky so I'm the only one with a win over the champion at the moment," he says. "A big win over Kane, things go my way and I can find my way back to Patricky again for a trilogy in Dublin."
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