The California-based promotion announced on Tuesday that James Gallagher will lock horns with Kirill Medvedovsky at featherweight in the evening’s co-main event, while teammate Sinead Kavanagh will face Iony Razafiarison in a 140-pound catch-weight affair.
Bellator 173 takes place at the SSE Arena and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between ex-champ Liam McGeary and Chris Fields. Like the organization’s last visit to Ireland, the card will be co-promoted with a British Association of Mixed Martial Arts event at the same venue. BAMMA 28 will be topped a lightweight duel between Norman Parke and Paul Redmond.
Gallagher, 20, is 5-0 as a professional, with back-to-back decision triumphs over Anthony Taylor and Mike Cutting in his first two Bellator MMA appearances. The 24-year-old Medvedovsky came up short in his first promotional appearance, falling to Georgi Karakhanyan via first-round TKO at Bellator 164.
Kavanagh is 4-0 in her burgeoning career, including a three-round verdict over Elina Kallionidou at Bellator 169 on Dec. 16. A native of Paris, Razafiarison last competed at Bellator 139, when she dropped a unanimous verdict against Bryanna Fissori.