James Gallagher is one victory away from a world title shot

It may not be much longer until we see James Gallagher in a Bellator title fight.

SBG prospect James Gallagher signed for Bellator MMA as a 19-year-old. Four wins over two years later and he's already in the title picture. "The Strabanimal" will be looking to improve on his pristine 7-0 professional record at Bellator 204 on August 17. The undefeated Irishman takes on 10-1 Ricky Bandejas at the Sioux Falls event. The fight will mark Gallagher's bantamweight debut, as he drops down from his usual featherweight. Gallagher explained during Monday's the Ariel Helwani MMA Show on ESPN that if he gets his hand raised against Bandejas, he's been promised a title shot by the promotion. Interestingly, Bellator's bantamweight king Darrion Caldwell (12-1) will be moving up to 145 lbs to take on Noad Lahat on the same card.

“I’m going to 135 and I’m going to be a world champion at 135 and definitely in the future I have plans to go up and get that 145-pound belt as well. Even towards the end of my career, I could probably go to 155 because I’m big and I’m getting bigger. I’m walking around at 165 pounds or so. I feel like I’m at a weight where I can bounce between them all.”

https://twitter.com/StrabanimalMMA/status/1013869893060571136 This kid's not short of confidence. To his credit, he's showcased the requisite skills to back up the talk so far in his career.