Bellator bantamweight, James Gallagher returned to the cage on Saturday at Bellator 223. He was taking on Jeremiah Labiano, where the SBG-Ireland product won the fight by decision.

Gallagher admits it was not his best performance and that is because what happened before the fight.

“Two weeks ago, I pulled out,” Gallagher explained after the fight. “I pulled out of the fight two weeks ago, I texted my coach and said ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ I had a panic attack in the gym. I didn’t want to fight, I was in a bad, bad place. Pulled out of the fight, didn’t want to be there anymore, didn’t want to do it.

“And look. I (expletive) showed up and (expletive) did it. I swear to God, they all hammer on about me and everyone hammers on. There’s none of them have a mindset like me. I pulled out of the fight. I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to fight, I didn’t even want to train again. I never wanted to fight again in my life. I was in a bad way.”

Luckily for James Gallagher, his coaches and teammates were there for him and comforted him during his hard time. Now, he says, he is back to winning and ready to go to the top.

“If it wasn’t for Kiefer (Moore) and John (Kavanagh) and a few of the boys, … we had private sessions, and I had to be helped out of the gym a few days in a row,” he said. “It was panic attacks, getting sick, couldn’t control myself, feeling absolutely dire. And now I’m back and I’m winning.

“Say what you want, I am (expletive) proud of myself. And I know everyone’s going to look and go ‘that’s a weak mind, he’s broke.’ I’ve got the strongest (expletive) mindset in this whole (expletive) game, and I’m going straight to the top.”