Former Bellator MMA star James Gallagher was set to return to the cage last night, but it didn’t end up happening. The alleged cause of his fight’s last-minute cancellation will leave fans scratching their heads in confusion.
Gallagher fought 12 times for Bellator between 2016 and 2024. He got off to an impressive start in the promotion, winning his first four fights, and finishing three by submission. However, a 2018 knockout loss to Ricky Bandejas kickstarted a long hot-and-cold run for the Irish star, who had frequently been compared to Conor McGregor until that point.
When Bellator was absorbed by the PFL last year, Gallagher became a free agent. His Bellator losses and long stretches of inactivity have made a move to the UFC unlikely for the time being, but he is still taking fights, presumably with that goal in mind.
Why did James Gallagher withdraw from his planned MMA return?
Gallagher’s last MMA fight occurred in June, when he submitted Fabricio Soares in the second round. He was set to return to the cage against Ali AlQaisi at ACA 194 last night in Dubai, but withdrew from the fight last minute. The reason? Apparently, he didn’t like his warm-up room.
That’s according to his opponent, AlQaisi.
Ali AlQaisi enters the cage and says James Gallagher left because he didn’t like the warm up area backstage. The fight is cancelled. Alright then pic.twitter.com/07nSpbAuDk
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 23, 2025
If this is true, it’s quite surprising. At 29, Gallagher still has a long MMA career ahead of him if he wants. He certainly seemed fired up to compete again in Dubai.
“Tomorrow night I’m prepared to put on the performance of my life,” he wrote on Instagram just a day before the fight was set to occur. “Blessed for this opportunity. Let’s do this!”
The Irish MMA star has yet to comment on why he withdrew from 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.
