James Gallagher notches 35-second Bellator win with mentor Conor McGregor watching

Conor McGregor isn’t what would you call an active fighter right now, having participated in a whopping one UFC fight since the start of 2017, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of MMA entirely.

The well-known fighter also has his teammates, and one of his youngest just scored a major victory.

Fighting in the main event of Bellator Dublin on Friday, 22-year-old James Gallagher scored a 35-second win with a guillotine submission against Roman Salazar. Gallagher began the fight by attempting to pull a Jorge Masvidal with a flying knee attempt, then quickly recovered and took control after a Salazar takedown.

Waiting for the victorious Gallagher in the stands was McGregor, who shared a moment with the fighter he’s credited with mentoring. That showed in Gallagher’s post-fight interview.

“I've worked my balls off for this moment, and no one — I mean f---ing no one — is going to take this away from me,” Gallagher said, via ESPN.

It was a perfect debut for Gallagher in his home country, and one that figures to elevate him into the next tier of MMA notoriety.

Gallagher now sits at 10-1 in his MMA career and is on a three-fight winning streak, having suffered his first loss against Ricky Bandejas last year. Per ESPN, Salazar, a former UFC fighter, took the fight on a week’s notice after Gallagher’s original opponent Callum Ellenor withdrew with an injury.

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