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Mixed martial arts is a sport where up-and-coming talents garner a lot of buzz, but very few ever truly make good on the projected potential they carry. While James Gallagher has a ways to go before his book is written and stamped, "The Strabanimal" is well on his way to becoming something special.



The SBG Ireland representative was one of the most highly touted young talents before signing to Bellator last year. Gallagher made his official promotional debut at Bellator 158 where he announced his arrival loud and clear with a lopsided victory over Mike Cutting at the O2 arena in London.



Gallagher continued to build momentum by defeating Anthony Taylor five months later at Bellator 169 in Dublin, and he'll be looking to keep his meteoric rise full steam on Friday night in Belfast.



The 20-year-old John Kavanagh-trained fighter will face Kirill Medvedovsky at Bellator 173 and Gallagher is confident he'll have what it takes to get his hand raised for the sixth consecutive time. Fighting is all Gallagher knows, and he plans to show the world one more reason to believe.



Gallagher is happy fighting for Bellator and plans to represent their brand for many years to come.



"It's what I do," Gallagher told FloCombat. "I'd fight tonight, tomorrow and the day after if there was money on the line. I train and I fight. That's all I do and that's the difference between me and other fighters. All the other stuff isn't a concern of mine, but I have a very good relationship with Bellator. We work very well together and I hope it keeps going for a long time.



When it comes to the topic of his peers, Gallagher has been a popular target as of late. The young Irishman has been on the receiving end of callouts left and right from every corner of the Bellator roster. While Gallagher knows the trash-talk being thrown his way is being done to initiate a response, he finds it quite strange his fellow fighters would dedicate so much time to having him on their minds.



"It's so weird to me to be honest," Gallagher said. "I'm sitting looking at these guys and they are all critiquing me but haven't done jack sh*t themselves. I'm not that kind of guy. I'm not going to sit around and critique them and what they are doing. I'll take a look here and there, see what they are good at and go from there."



Of the collective targeting a future bout with Gallagher, A.J. McKee and Aaron Pico are the two most prominent names on the list. Both are blue-chip prospects like Gallagher, but that's where the Irishman believes the comparisons stop.



While McKee has won all seven of his showings inside the Bellator cage, Pico has yet to notch a professional MMA fight. Gallagher is of the mindset both men need to mind to their own careers, and when it's time for them to fight, they'll get their wishes to face him.



"The entire division seems to be coming toward me. I say what I'm going to do, but then I go in there and deliver every time. I'm only 20 years young and I've already held an event on my shoulders in my home country.



"They all want the attention but they don't want the actual fight. They all want to be in the media saying this and that, but how about they just f*cking fight and build their way up? When they get a few wins under their belt and are on their way up then ask for the fight.



"How can he call himself an MMA fighter when he doesn't even have a fight yet," he added in regard to the Pico callout. "That's impossible."



While Gallagher's focus is locked on defeating Medvedovsky in Belfast, the talented young fighter has bigger aspirations playing out in real time as well. Every fight is a step in his overall journey, and make no mistake about it, that journey is one with championship gold at the end of it.



"I'm coming straight for the title," Gallagher said. "I'm making a run for it and I'm coming for that belt. It's mine."