James Gallagher to Fight Anthony Taylor at Bellator 169 in Dublin

Bellator’s maiden voyage into Ireland is slowing coming into shape as the California-based promotion announced on Thursday that two more bouts have been added to Bellator 169.

Local grappler James Gallagher will be fighting in front of a legion of rabid Irishman when he collides with fellow featherweight Anthony Taylor on the card’s co-main event, while a flyweight battle between Bruna Ellen and Helen Harper will round out the main card.

Gallagher is a rising prospect from Strabane, Ireland, and he was successful in his Bellator debut back in July. “The Strabanimal” edged Mike Cutting via unanimous decision at Bellator 158 in London but even though the win snapped his consecutive submission streak, he dominated his foe for three rounds. Taylor, meanwhile, is 1-1 in the pro ranks with both matches coming under the Bellator umbrella. “Pretty Boy” is coming off a first-round knockout of Victor Jones at Bellator 154.

Anchoring the night will be a heavyweight showdown between Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal and Olympic gold medal-winning judoka Satoshi Ishii. Daniel Weichel will lock horns with Paul Redmond on the card as well.

BAMMA 27 will run in conjunction with the Bellator 169 card as Tom Duquesnoy will take on Alan Philpott for the bantamweight title while Ronnie Mann and Martin Stapleton will go at it for the featherweight crown.

Bellator 169 will go down inside 3Arena in Dublin and will be televised on Spike on Dec. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.