Dubai debut win for ‘Strabanimal’

JAMES ‘The Strabanimal’ Gallagher’s 971 Fighting Championship debut in Dubai “couldn’t have gone any better”.

The 28-year-old went into his bout against Fabricio Soares keen to mark his return to the cage after more than a year of inactivity with a win, preferably in style, to not only signal his resurgence but to also give his dad, Andy the best 65th birthday present possible.

And while he managed to achieve those feats, earning a second round submission in the Coca-Cola Arena against his experienced foe with a slick armbar, he admits he still has plenty to work on.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Gallagher beamed. “There were obviously a few mistakes that I have made but nothing substantial, so I’m delighted.”

Having spent the last year and a bit working hard in various gyms and during different training camps, Gallagher was in good shape ahead of his comeback bout, but he admits practice is different to the real battle inside the cage and that Soares made life as difficult as possible for him on the night.

“Perfect practice almost makes perfect but not quite – when I got in there he caught me off-guard with a sweep and stuff like that, but you have to keep composed and keep going,” Gallagher acknowledged.

“It was all about getting him where I wanted him but he was very good at avoiding it. He’s 33 with 14 wins and three losses, so he’s very, very experienced.

“And once I was able to put him on the back foot and make him go defensive I never let him off it.”

There will be little time for ‘The Strabanimal’ to rest up and enjoy his 13th professional MMA victory, however, as he’s keen to get back into the cage as soon as possible.

“I’m going straight back to training next week and we’ll be getting into talks with my management out in Dubai about getting going again, so hopefully it will be sooner rather than later!,” he said.

Prior to his encounter with Soares, Gallagher paid tribute to Belfast rap act, Kneecap and their support of Palestine, and he admitted to being touched by the response.

“It was brilliant! I’m a big supporter of Kneecap and what they’re all doing, so it was great to be able to pay tribute to them,” he added.

“And I felt like Cristiano Ronaldo when I left the ring after I shouted ‘Free Palestine’. I had kids in tears, thanking me, telling me their parents were in Palestine getting blown up. They were saying ‘what you’ve done for me, you’ve no idea what you’ve done for me’ – you don’t realise how lucky you have it!”