Irish star James Gallagher will return for the first time since 2021 as he gets set for action at Bellator 298 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Friday, August 11.

Gallagher hasn’t competed since his third-round submission loss to Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 in November 2021. That bout was a pivotal clash for both men in Bellator’s bantamweight division, with Mix eventually moving on from that victory to defeat Kyoji Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov, and Raufeon Stots to win the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix and capture the interim bantamweight title.

Gallagher, meanwhile, has assessed his options and will return to action in a new weight class, at 145 pounds. He’ll take on James Gonzalez in Sioux Falls, with both men looking to make a statement in the featherweight division.

Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher had been on a four-fight win streak, and will be looking to bounce back into the win column against Gonzalez, who lost a decision to Aaron Pico at Bellator 295, but had won his previous two matchups inside the Bellator cage.

The bout is one of eight additions to the fight card for August 11. Ninth-ranked bantamweight contender and 10th-ranked Jaylon Bates are booked to face off at 135 pounds, while Kai Kamaka and Akhmed Magomedov will go toe to toe at 145.

Two middleweight matchups are also on deck, with Imamshafi Aliev vs. Anthony Adams and Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Mike Shipman both added to the card, while light heavyweights collide when Sullivan Cauley and Cedric Savage meet at 205 pounds.

The other new additions to the card include Bryce Meredith vs. Alberto Rodriguez at bantamweight, and Alfie Davis vs. Aalon Cruz at lightweight.

Bellator 298: Confirmed fights

MAIN CARD

  • Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
  • Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery
  • Sidney Outlaw vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Lucas Brennan vs. Weber Almeida
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Jaylon Bates
  • Kai Kamaka vs. Akhmed Magomedov
  • Diana Avsaragova vs. Justine Kish
  • James Gallagher vs. James Gonzalez
  • Imamshafi Aliev vs. Anthony Adams
  • Max Rohskopf vs. Jario Pacheco
  • Dayana Silva vs. Katerina Shakalova
  • Sullivan Cauley vs. Cedric Savage
  • Bryce Meredith vs. Alberto Rodriguez
  • Alfie Davis vs. Aalon Cruz
  • Leandro Higo vs. Nikita Mikhailov
  • Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Mike Shipman
  • Marcirley Alves da Silva vs. Jerrell Hodge
  • Michael Blockhus vs. Eli Mefford