Dean Barry signs with BAMMA
Following a prestigious kickboxing career that included European and World titles, Dean ‘The Sniper’
Barry will now take aim at climbing the BAMMA lightweight rankings. Having made a successful
MMA debut in Kansas City last September, winning via knockout in the first round, the Dublin native
has signed an exclusive multi fight deal with BAMMA. ‘The Sniper’ makes his debut at BAMMA 35 in
Dublin on May 12th, an opportunity he has aspired to for many years, “This is a moment I have
dreamed of for years. To fight in front of my friends, family and hometown fans in the 3 Arena. I
hope to inspire the youth and show them where belief and hard work can take you”.
Having made the decision to make the transition to MMA, the 25-year old is now fights out of the
Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada. Training alongside MMA legend George St-Pierre amongst other
elite fighters, Barry believes the decision to base himself at Tristar has ensured the transition to
MMA has run smoothly, “Training with George is something I will remember forever. He helped me
a lot with my wrestling and BJJ. He has been a great friend. The wrestling and change of stance to
evade strikes was the biggest change but the transition has gone very well, especially when
surrounded with fighters the calibre of George St-Pierre”.
In the modern age of mixed martial arts, many highly successful ‘super’ camps now exist stateside,
but Dean had one man in mind to guide his crossover to MMA, ”When I was looking into various
camps, I read up a lot on Tristar coach Firas Zahabi and knew he was the one to take me where I
needed to go. I seen a lot of top guys with a similar style to me come through that camp. I knew it
was a perfect fit for me and an amazing camp to be part of”.
Ahead of his BAMMA debut on May 12th, Barry has joined forces with SBG's Owen Roddy and Dave Roche to guide his preparations for this camp, "I have two of Ireland's best getting me prepared and in my corner for this fight. We are going to put on a show. An excellent display of mixed martial arts".
Coming off a successful MMA debut and offers from numerous mixed martial arts promotions
coming in, Dean had his sights set on Europe’s biggest MMA stage in his hometown, “BAMMA is the
biggest promotion in Europe, and one of the biggest in the world. I wanted to test myself against the
best fighters in Europe on the big stage”.
Dean Barry’s homecoming has been set for May 12th in the iconic 3Arena, and ‘The Sniper’ has
promised to deliver fireworks in front of his hometown fans, ”Fans can expect very high level striking
at a fast pace. I and my opponent both come from high level striking backgrounds. I’m happy to
stand and bang or go to the ground. Either way suits me but fans are in for an explosive fight”.
All this Information is from the BAMMA website www.bamma.com
BAMMA 35 takes place on Saturday May 12th at the 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland and tickets are on sale now via bamma.com