James Gonzalez Replaces Cris Lencioni, Meets James Gallagher at Bellator 298

James Gonzalez will replace Cris Lencioni and lock horns with James Gallagher at Bellator 298.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the new booking. Lencioni was removed from the card after suffering cardiac arrest during training earlier this month. Bellator 298 takes place on Aug. 11 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Logan Storley against Brennan Ward.

Gallagher will compete for the first time since November 2021, when he had a four-bout winning streak snapped in a third-round submission loss to Patrick Mix at Bellator 270. The SBG Ireland product is 8-2 during his Bellator tenure.

Anchored at Longo and Weidman MMA, Gonzalez is coming off a decision loss against Aaron Pico at Bellator 295 on April 22. The 33-year-old known as “The Alley Cat” owns a 10-6 career mark that includes fights in PFL Challenger Series, Ring of Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships.