James Gallagher’s Opponent for ‘Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii’ is Official

SANTA MONICA, CALIF (October 27, 2016) – Bellator MMA has added a pair of electric matchups to its first ever event in Ireland, pitting Northern Ireland’s own James Gallagher (4-0) against Anthony Taylor (1-1), as well as flyweight phenom Bruna Ellen (2-1) meeting Helen Harper (4-1) during the main card of “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii,” inside 3Arena on Dec. 16.

“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii,” will be headlined by a heavyweight fight pitting “King Mo” (19-5, 1 NC) against Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1). In addition, veteran featherweights Daniel Weichel (37-9) and Paul Redmond (11-6) will also face off on the Spike-televised main card.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and start at 35€ at Bellator.com,Ticketmaster.ie and the 3Arena Box Office. “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” can be seen free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

In addition to a full card of Bellator action, ticketholders will also have the unique opportunity to experience an additional fight card from Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, BAMMA. “BAMMA 27” will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight pitting Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) against Alan Philpott (16-8), as well as a featherweight championship bout pitting former Bellator competitors Ronnie Mann (25-8-1) against Martin Stapleton (18-4).

Perfect through his first four professional fights, the 19-year-old Gallagher is one of the brightest stars in all of “The Emerald Island.” Hailing from nearby Strabane in Northern Ireland, “The Strabanimal” moved away from home at age 15 to join Coach John Kavanagh at Straight Blast Gym (SBG), where he now trains alongside the best fighters in the country including Connor McGregor. Having made his Bellator debut in London this past July in London, Gallagher will look to make it five straight to start his career in front of a raucous home crowd.

The 27-year-old Taylor will be entering the cage for the third time in his professional career, all of which have come under the umbrella of Bellator MMA. “Pretty Boy” is fresh off of his first professional win, a first round knockout over Victor Jones at “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo.” The win opened many people’s eyes and brought immediate attention to Taylor, who currently fights out of Alameda, Calif., alongside A.J. McKee, Kevin Ferguson Jr., and Joey Davis. Now, Taylor will make the trek across the pond to fight in his opponent’s backyard of Dublin, Ireland in the co-main event of “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii.”

Brazilian flyweight Bruna Ellen comes in to her bout having won two of her first three professional contests, including a first round knockout of Pamela Mara Assis. The 20-year-old will now be making her second appearance under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion and in search of her first win of the 2016 campaign. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ellen joined Bellator MMA along with a handful of other promising female Brazilian competitors at the beginning of the year, in hopes of further advancing their already promising careers.

Hailing from England, the British strawweight Harper will make the jump up in weight class for the first time in three years to fight Bruna Ellen at 125-pounds. The 29-year-old knockout artist will be making her Bellator MMA debut on Dec. 16, after recording four wins over her five professional contests under the direction of local promotions to begin her career. Of her four victories, three have ended in finishes, including a pair of brutal first round knockouts. Nicknamed “Hellraiser,” Harper hopes to do just that when she enters the cage with Ellen in search of her fifth career win.

“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” Main Card:
Heavyweight Main Event: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (19-5, 1 NC) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1)
Bantamweight Co-Main Event: James Gallagher (4-0) vs. Anthony Taylor (1-1)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Daniel Weichel (37-9) vs. Paul Redmond (11-6)
Flyweight Main Card Bout: Bruna Ellen (2-1) vs. Helen Harper (4-1)

Updated “BAMMA 27” Main Card:
Bantamweight World Title Bout: Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) vs. Alan Philpott (16-8)
Featherweight World Title Bout: Ronnie Mann (25-8-1) vs. Martin Stapleton (18-4)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Dylan Tuke (3-0) vs. Sean Tobin (4-2)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Brian Moore (9-4) vs. Niklas Backstroke (10-2)
Welterweight Main Card Bout: Kiefer Crosbie (1-0) vs. Conor Riordan (Debut)
Welterweight Main Card Bout: Nathan Jones (9-5) vs. Walter Gahadza (16-0)