Injury rules James Gallagher out of Bellator Dublin; Leah McCourt vs. Judith Ruis moved to main event

James Gallagher has been forced out of his Bellator Dublin main event clash with Cal Ellenor due to an undisclosed injury.

SBG Charlestown fighter Leah McCourt will now headline the event alongside Germany’s Judith Ruis, who were already set to square off in a featherweight bout on the Feb. 22 event at Dublin’s 3 Arena.

Sources revealed to MMA Fighting that the Irish headliner had suffered an injury in the lead up to the clash. Bellator subsequently confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday morning and revealed McCourt vs. Ruis’ new main event status. Revised broadcast details will be released in the coming days.

In a statement to MMA Fighting, Bellator confirmed the following:

“Due to an undisclosed injury, James Gallagher will no longer compete on Feb. 22 in Dublin, and his bout with Cal Ellenor has been removed from the card. A women’s featherweight matchup featuring Ireland’s Leah McCourt taking on Judith Ruis of Germany will now headline Bellator’s highly anticipated return to 3Arena,” the statement read.

This is the second time a meeting between Gallagher and Ellenor has been forced from a Dublin main event. Ellenor was bizarrely forced from their first meeting in September 2019 when he failed to gain medical clearance. However, it turned out that the information that led to his forced withdrawal was inaccurate and the bout was rebooked for Feb. 22.

Update: Gallagher revealed he suffered a back injury.

Listen to Eurobash for all the latest thrills and spills in European MMA.