James Gallagher Plans to Put on 'Master Class in MMA' at Bellator 169 | MMAWeekly.com

Although a September bout for BAMMA was cancelled, and then followed up by the postponement of his next fight from November to December for Bellator, featherweight prospect James Gallagher remains positive.

Not deterred by changes in his fight schedule, Gallagher looks at the time off as something he can use as a productive measure towards his growth as a fighter.

“When I don’t have a fight, I’m in the gym every day learning,” Gallagher told MMAWeekly.com. “It makes no difference for when or how long I have to wait. Actually the longer I have to wait, the better that I get.

“Every day I walk into the gym with a beginner’s mindset. And every day I get closer to being the best. That’s the way it always is and that’s the way it’ll always be. There’s a lot more room for improvement. I don’t want to be the best in Ireland or in Europe; I want to be the best ever.”

Though he just recently turned 20, Gallagher has been training and fighting in some capacity for nearly half his life. This allows him to have a leg up on other competition that may just be starting their MMA careers.

TRENDING > Watch Jon Jones Finish Dan Henderson with a Choke (video)

“Every day I feel I’m getting better, stronger, and more mature in the game,” said Gallagher. “There’s a lot of people who didn’t start the game until my age, and I’ve already had 20-odd fights deep. I’ve been in this game since I was 12-years-old. I’m a young veteran, you could say.”

Gallagher (4-0) makes his return to Bellator on Friday in Dublin, Ireland, to take on fellow up-and-comer Anthony Taylor (1-1) in a 145-pound co-main event.

“No matter what I do, I’m going to go out there and put on a master class in MMA – and that’s that – it doesn’t matter what he does,” Gallagher said of facing Taylor. “Nothing else matters outside of what I’m going to do – and that’s that.

“I’m going to put on a master class and show Bellator the real me. I don’t think I showed what I’m capable of in the last one, and I feel like I’m going out there to show the real me in the next one.”

RELATED > James Gallagher and Anthony Taylor Dust-Up Mars Bellator 169 Open Workout (video)

While Gallagher enjoys fighting in his native Ireland, he’s looking to expand his reach internationally in 2017 and work his way up the featherweight ranks.

“They’re already talking to me about fights at the start of next year,” said Gallagher. “I want to get over Stateside and show the Americans what I can do. It’s a bigger audience and bigger arenas, and that’s what I want.

“There’s nothing I’d love to do more than fight in front of my hometown crowd, I’d do that before I’d do anything else, but I want to travel the world with Bellator and fight the best.”

Follow MMAWeekly.com on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram