“I feel that, by the end of the year, I’ll be signed to UFC” – Barry closing in on big stage
By Stephen Leonard
TALLAGHT MMA fighter Dean Barry is confident he will be on the books of the UFC by the close of the year.
The highly-rated light-weight competitor recently chalked up the second win of his career after stopping Corey Samuels in the opening round of their clash on Titan FC 55 in Florida last month.
Tallaght’s Dean Barry moved a step closer to fulfilling his dream of signing for the UFC after his recent victory over Corey Samuels in Florida.
Training out of SBG Charlestown under coach Owen Roddy, Barry has been progressing well despite seeing several scheduled fights fall through with opponents backing out.
“It’s great fighting in the US because the exposure you get there is ten times more than what you’d get in Europe” Barry told The Echo.
“It [Titan] is one of the biggest feeders in the UFC and I feel that, by the end of the year, I’ll be signed to UFC. That’s my goal.
“I’ve had offers from different promotions, but I’ve turned them down because the UFC is what I want. I’m a free agent now, because otherwise I’d have to be bought out of a contract.
“They [UFC] made contact after my win saying they wanted to sign me, but just wanted to see me get one or two more fights for experience” he said.
Barry enjoyed a convin-cing victory over Samuels and it marked his first outing since his loss to Anthony Taylor in May of last year- a fight he admits he was ill-prepared for.
“I had suffered concussion eight weeks out from that fight and so I had no training or sparring and it showed, but I just took the fight because I didn’t want to let anyone down” he explained.
Yet it was a completely different story against Samuels, a purple belt in jiu jitsu who had 11 knock-outs in Muay Thai contests.
“I knew I just had to keep my distance and attack his body with as many kicks as possible” said the Tallaght man.
“I caught him with a double side-kick to the head and then about eight upper cuts to finish it.
“I didn’t feel any ring-rust [after the long spell out of competition]. I don’t believe in ring rust, I just keep training really hard.”
Barry is hoping to be back in action in Florida on August 23 before taking another fight in the autumn which he hopes will pave the way for a much-anticipated move to UFC.
TAGS sports
