James Gallagher Reflects on Patchy Mix Loss: “I Think 9 Times Out of 10, I Can Beat Him!”
Video interview with James Gallagher above
Bellator star James Gallagher makes no excuses for his recent loss to Patchy Mix, but the Irishman believes he would emerge victorious if the pair were to meet again.
“I got choked out, the better man won and that’s it! But I think 9 times out of 10, I can beat him. I really, really do believe that 9 times out of 10 I can get him, and I can push forward and break him down,” Gallagher told MyMMANews.com
After an entertaining first two rounds, Mix submitted Gallagher via third-round guillotine choke in front of the Dublin crowd in their bantamweight showdown at Bellator 270 last November.
“There’s no excuses, the guy won and that’s it. I fucked up, but I just feel like I had a lot more to give.”
Following the win over “The Strabanimal,” Mix went on to defeat former Bellator and Rizin bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi. The unanimous decision victory advanced “No Love” to the semi-finals of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. Gallagher considers Mix one of the top talents at 135lbs, though he was surprised by some of the American’s attributes:
“I rate him highly! He looks big but he’s not that strong, but very heavy. It was a weird feel to him, but very, very good! Very good Jiu Jitsu! He wasn’t as tough as I thought he was. I felt like if I had stuck it into him a bit more, cracked him around the place, that I could have broke him a bit more, but I was a bit hesitant about that for some reason.”
Despite the loss, Gallagher is laser focused on making his way to the top of the sport.
“I got beat, and I’m going to do whatever the fuck in my power to make sure that that doesn’t happen again, and that’s all I can do!”
At just 25 years old, the Tyrone native has already been fighting for 13 years. But the James Krause trained fighter believes he has another 10 years ahead of him in MMA. Step by step, Gallagher intends to climb the mountain all the way to a crowning summit.
“I’m just thinking about a big rise. I’m climbing to the top of this, and none of them are on my level. That’s how I feel. You know, even though I got beat in my last one, I really do feel like that I am the better martial artist. And I really do believe that when I put in the work and put in 100% that I’m better than all these guys. And people will be like “aww he’s saying this and saying that”. Yeah, but I’ve got to prove that. But I will say that, and I do believe it, no matter what the fuck anyone else thinks.”
“I want to be a world champion. I want to climb to the top. I want to become the best. And I’m fighting these guys to prove that and to do that. It’s simple. Everyone overcomplicates this thing and thinks so deep about it. I’m 25. I’m good to go now! I’ve grown as a fighter, I became a man. Who the fuck wants it?”
