Leandro Higo is set to fight James Gallagher in Belfast on March 22, but he remains skeptical due to Gallagher’s history of pulling out of fights and says he is prepared to fight any other Irishman if Gallagher withdraws.
Leandro Higo and James Gallagher are set to clash in Bellator. This showdown is scheduled for March 22 in Belfast, Ireland. But Higo, the Brazilian fighter, won’t believe it until he sees Gallagher, aka “The Strabanimal”, in the flesh during fight week.
Higo and Gallagher were supposed to meet before. But the fight never materialized. Bellator has officially announced the matchup once, yet Higo says he’s signed three previous agreements to fight Gallagher. Each time, Gallagher, a product of SBG Ireland, backed out.
Higo recently spoke on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. He’s heading into enemy territory, ready to fight, whether it’s Gallagher or any other Irishman who steps in last minute.
“My coaches told me, ‘Man, he pulled out three times already against you, not to mention his other opponents,'” Higo shared. Gallagher seems to always be injured or have something going on. He only fights when it suits him, according to Higo. He’ll only believe the fight is happening when they reach fight week. But if Gallagher doesn’t show, Higo’s ready to take on any other Irishman. He’s prepared for war.
Gallagher moved up to 145 pounds for his latest Bellator fight. He won a split decision over James Gonzalez. So, Higo agreed to cut 10 fewer pounds to face him at featherweight. Higo claims one of their previous bouts was set for 135 pounds. But Gallagher allegedly asked for a catchweight.
“He has always pointed at me saying I didn’t make weight [before], and then my manager said, ‘Leandro, just agree to the catchweight, he’s going to pull out,'” Higo recalled. And sure enough, Gallagher withdrew due to an injury. But Higo thinks Gallagher will be stronger and better now that he doesn’t have to cut weight. And Higo’s fine too. He won’t cut too much weight for this fight. Depending on his performance, he’ll fight in both divisions.
Bellator initially approached Higo about fighting Gallagher in Belfast. But they ended up settling for Gallagher vs. Jeremy Kennedy. With Kennedy now promoted to a title bout against Higo’s teammate, Patricio Pitbull, Higo gets another shot at Gallagher.
“I was already training at 60 percent, because he pulls out of fights a lot, and I was alert that he could fall off, and I take the Jeremy Kennedy fight,” Higo explained. His manager called him while he was about to spar on a Friday, asking about his weight. Higo knew then that a short-notice fight was coming. His manager didn’t even ask if he wanted it, he just gave the date and opponent, and Higo accepted.
Higo’s most recent Bellator bout was in August 2023. He choked out Nikita Mikhailov, bouncing back from a decision defeat to Danny Sabatello. Before that, Higo was on a three-fight winning streak over Darrion Caldwell, Ricky Bandejas, and Shawn Bunch. He hopes to return to his winning ways in Ireland.
Gallagher has won nine of his 11 fights under the Bellator banner. His only losses were to Bandejas and future bantamweight champion Patchy Mix. But Higo thinks Gallagher is overrated.
“I don’t have much about him as an athlete,” Higo admitted. But he believes Gallagher talks too much and doesn’t deliver enough. He’s the most called-out fighter in Bellator, not just by Higo, but by everyone. Higo thinks it’s due to Gallagher’s backstage and Twitter antics. Despite this, Higo acknowledges Gallagher’s skills, noting his karate, takedowns, and jiu-jitsu.
Higo is eager to fight in enemy territory. He wants to “silence a lot of people” at the SSE Arena in Belfast. And he’s confident he’ll finish Gallagher within three rounds.
“I don’t see this fight going the distance,” Higo declared. He’s either going to knock Gallagher out or submit him. But he’d prefer to submit him. As both are grapplers, Higo wants to show his jiu-jitsu is superior. He wants to send a message to the rest of the division that he’s back.