By 
JAMES Gallagher is looking forward to new experiences and a fresh start in the professional MMA game come April.
‘The Strabanimal’ will travel to the Far East where he will take on a series of career firsts. Not only will he fight in Japan for the first time, but he will also battle under a different set of rules in the Rizin promotion and the Tyrone man is excited by the prospect of announcing himself to a new fan-base.
“I’ve never fought in Japan, I’ve never fought in Asia but it’s huge out there,” he beamed. “When I go and fight out there and put on a performance that I expect to put on, I’m going to become a superstar over there!”
As well as anticipating a warm welcome from the knowlegable Japanese MMA fans, Gallagher is also expecting a baptism of fire in the cage as he not only takes on experienced foe Kazumasa Majima, within a set of rules that, while they should suit his style, are a throwback to the early days of the sport.
“The rules set is different out there – you’re allowed to knee and kick to the head on the ground,” he explained. “It’s kind of like back to a more traditional way of finding out who the best fighter is without rules because people now, [MMA] it’s away from fighting, it’s about winning rounds and winning points.
“There’s a style that can win the rounds and they are the people who are dominating but it doesn’t mean they are the best fighters.
“But in this [promotion] it changes the whole game and it suits my style very well in the way I take people down and get on top of them. It’s going to be a game-changer and I’ll be able to get my submissions much quicker.
“I’ve watched all of Majima’s fights, he’s a submission expert, who has something like 12 or 13 wins in the first round, 18 wins in total and four or five defeats, so very experienced and very good and probably my toughest opponent to date.
“He’s fought his whole career under these rules, but that excites me. I just have to open up my mind for something new and it will only add to my game. It suits me to the ground and as my coach says, these are the rules I should have been fighting my whole career.”
Gallagher’s clash with Majima is the first in a multi-fight deal he has signed with Rizin and it’s one that he believes will propel him to world title territory sooner rather than later.
“I’m hoping that I’ll go out there now and put on a spectacular performance and then get a quick turnaround and within two or three fights I should be looking at a world title shot,” he added.
