James Gallagher might be facing the toughest test of his young career on Friday night at the SSE Arena against Kirill Medvedovsky, but he already has another fighter on his mind.
'The Strabanimal' recently claimed that he would have a "big announcement" following his fight in Belfast in two days, and in an interview with Newstalk.com today, Gallagher insisted that it would 7-0 US prospect, AJ McKee, that he would gunning for next at Bellator’s London card in May.
According to the SBG featherweight, despite being in Anthony Taylor’s corner in Dublin back in December, McKee gave him advice on how to beat his teammate before they faced off.
"I’m going to pan this guy out on Friday and AJ McKee is next," revealed Gallagher.
"This guy is asking for it. He was trying to be my buddy when he was over here to corner my opponent for the 3 Arena show, Anthony Taylor. He was being a little b***h about the fight because he was telling me Anthony’s game plan before we fought and everything.
"I couldn’t believe how much of a p***y he was being. He was telling me all of Anthony’s strengths and weaknesses. He was telling me that he wanted no beef with me the whole time he was here.
"After all of that he came up to my hotel room and started trying to tell me he could f**k Conor McGregor up. Maybe he thought I’d agree with him after him talking so much s**t about Anthony, but I told him straight up that Conor would knock him the f**k out in ten seconds.
"I think he realized then that I’m no joke."
Recorded a stunning submission victory over Anthony Taylor last December. Image: ©INPHO/Gary Carr
Gallagher explained that he was surprised when he saw McKee making posts on various social media networks with the intent of getting a match-up with him. As far as Gallagher was concerned, the young American had gone out of his way to be his friend in Ireland, so his attempts to get a fight date with him completely came from left field.
"Honestly, it felt like he spent his whole time in Dublin trying to be my best friend. Then as soon as he got off the plane in the US he started posting s**t about me.
"It was so strange for me to see. This guy had been in a hotel room with me, with no one else around, trying to be best mates and then the second he gets away from me starts looking for a fight. Surely, he should've tried to fight me then if he really wanted to it?"
Gallagher often stresses the importance of loyalty in his own life, which made him question McKee’s character when he began to give him insights into Taylor’s fighting style.
"I’ll be nice to anyone. Even though he was on the other team I thought he was a nice guy, but eyebrows were raised when he started to tell me about Anthony. That’s p***y s**t."
As far as Gallagher is concerned, McKee only wants to fight him because he has seen how Taylor’s loss in Dublin has propelled his career. The 20-year-old highlighted the hypocrisy of McKee calling him a 'McGregor wannabe' when he feels McKee is clearly trying to follow the same path as his own teammate, Taylor.
"The funniest part is that he’s calling me fake. He was in Dublin asking me to train with him and telling me his teammates game plan for me, and now I’m the fake one?
"I get it to a certain extent. I think AJ is the top dog in his gym, but when Anthony came over here and fought me, he became the man.
"AJ keeps talking about how I’m a wannabe McGregor. He’s just seen all the attention that Anthony has got from losing to me—he got put into another co-main event since we fought.
"AJ McKee is a wannabe Anthony Taylor. That’s all he is. He just wants to come over to Europe and take a whooping off me so he can get what Anthony has got."
Gallagher believes adding him and AJ McKee to the London card is an obvious way to generate more interest for the event. According to the unbeaten featherweight, Bellator will definitely make the fight happen, which he plans on asking for immediately after his co-main event showdown with Medvedovsky on Friday night.
"I think they will definitely make that fight for London," he said.
"I want that fight, I know I’ll be prepared for him. Believe me, AJ is the guy I want to fight and I’m going to let that be known after I win on Friday night.
"As soon as I get this other guy out of the way, all my attention will be on AJ. Bellator will make that fight."
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