For the third time in four bookings, James Gallagher has withdrawn from a fight.
Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is out of Bellator 292 for undisclosed reasons, and his bout vs. Leandro Higo (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has been scrapped. The bantamweight contenders were expected to throw down March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif..
Promotion officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA. Higo will not remain on the card.
Gallagher, 26, has competed once since the end of 2020, a submission loss to Patchy Mix that snapped a three-fight win streak. In between the Mix and Higo matchups, Gallagher was booked to partake in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix. However, a hand injury that required surgery forced him out. Gallagher later withdrew from a Brett Johns matchup scheduled for September.
Higo, 34, competed in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. He was eliminated by Danny Sabatello by unanimous decision in the quarterfinal round. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.
With the cancellation, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
- Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
- Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
- Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
- Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)
- Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
- Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
- Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
- Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
- Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
- Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
- Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
- Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
- Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
- Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
- Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
