James Gallagher out of Bellator 285 fight vs. Brett Johns

So much for James Gallagher’s Bellator return at home.

Gallagher has pulled out of his bantamweight fight against Brett Johns, which was scheduled for Bellator 285 on Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. A Bellator official confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Thursday following an initial report from Severe MMA.

The reason for Gallagher’s withdrawal isn’t know. Bellator is in search of a replacement to fight Johns.

A fan favorite in Dublin, Gallagher, 25, was looking to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix but withdrew due to injury.

Johns (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. He’s split his first two Bellator fights.

Johns took a thinly veiled shot at Gallagher on Twitter for withdrawing from the fight.

With the change, here’s the Bellator 285 lineup:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)