Bellator 298: How James Gallagher used past 'mistakes' and 21-month absence to 'grow'

James Gallagher (right) has 11 career wins and two defeats

When James Gallagher lost against Patchy Mix in 2021, little did he know it would be 21 months before he would fight again.

Strabane's Gallagher has seen two fights cancelled because of injury during his time on the sidelines.

Gallagher required surgery on his thumb, forcing his bout with Brett Johns to be called off last year, and then injured his knee before pulling out of a bout with Leandro Higo in March.

At 26 years old, Gallagher, who was compared to Conor McGregor for large parts of his early career, has already headlined three Bellator events.

And he doesn't see his recent inactivity halting that momentum.

Gallagher is brimming with enthusiasm as he prepares to face American James Gonzalez in a featherweight bout at the Sanford Pentagon at Bellator 298 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Friday.

"I'm always growing, always learning. I've been doing a great mix of both. The last year's been a perfect balance for a while and I haven't that balance for a long time," Gallagher tells BBC Sport.

"I just want to go out there and have fun, enjoy myself, enjoy the rises, the joys, every single bit of it.

"That edge, that maturity, that filling out, being stronger, it takes a long time.

"When everyone is 17 and 18 years old, they didn't have thousands of people tuning in to watch them fight, to watch them grow, to watch them learn, to watch them make mistakes.

"When they make mistakes no one talked about it because no one knows who they are. But for me I had to learn that, I had to make mistakes in front of people, I had to grow, and it just takes time to go through all that. And now here I am."

'Lencioni's won the fight of his life - that inspires me'

Gallagher's original opponent for his comeback fight was Cris Lencioni but the American was pulled from the bout after suffering a cardiac arrest during training.

Lencioni suffered brain damage and spent 16 days in intensive care, with doctors unsure how his recovery would unfold.

But this week a post on Lencioni's Instagram showed the fighter walking and jogging with the help of medical staff.

Lencioni's ongoing recovery has inspired Gallagher.

"I know Cris, we trained together. Cris is a good guy, we've got a good little thing, a good competitive animosity against each other," said Gallagher.

"To see that man get up, and run up that hill again from being in a coma like that - that gives me inspiration.

"To see another warrior like myself being able to pull through a fight of his life - he won life there, he was fighting for his life and he came back.

"So this fight is easy compared to the fight that man had on his hands. I'm very happy to see him back on his feet."

'Just get big, eat grub, and move up'

Gallagher has not fought since defeat by Patchy Mix 21 months ago.

Gallagher will be moving up to featherweight from bantamweight for his fight against Gonzalez.

After defeat against Mix nearly two years ago, Gallagher vomited and passed out when he went for his post-fight medical check-up.

Gallagher says the doctors weren't sure of the reason he lost consciousness, but he was severely dehydrated.

Gallagher would weigh as much as 12 stone 7 pounds (79.3 kilograms) when not training for a fight, and would have to lose 2st 12lb (18.1kg) over a few months to reach the 9st 9lb (61.2kg) bantamweight limit.

A large part of a fighter's weight cut involves losing water from the body the night before weigh-ins, which can lead to dehydration.

Gallagher admits the weight cuts in the past have affected his performances and he feels much more comfortable reaching the 10st 5lb (65.7kg) featherweight limit.

"To go down to [bantamweight] is a lot of weight to go. It's too hard and it doesn't suit me. it doesn't suit my style of fighting," said Gallagher.

"Especially my focus [was affected by weight cutting]. Forget about how you feel in your body, but the focus in the mind.

"Now I feel fresh, my mind is switched on, I feel good. I've still got to make weight for tomorrow [Friday] and I have a long night ahead of me but I'll be doing it a lot more switched on in my brain."

Last week, UFC fighter Jake Hadley said he struggled to rehydrate following a weight cut, which contributed to his defeat against Cody Durden.

Gallagher has encouraged fighters to start competing at weights which feel more natural to them.

"Just get solid, get big, eat grub and move up," said Gallagher.

"If you're struggling why do something that has a negative impact? It doesn't make sense. Make something positive, now my mindset is clear."