Sherdog Prospect Watch: Dean Barry

The Ultimate Fighting Championship roster on Saturday gets a new addition from Ireland, as Dean Barry makes his promotional debut as part of the UFC Fight Night 205 undercard at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Barry, 29, will face Mike Jackson in the welterweight opener. While “The Sniper” carries a 4-1 record into the cage, he has built his resume against subpar competition: His opponents sport a cumulative .357 winning percentage (25-45).

Barry is a former World Association of Kickboxing champion, and at the beginning of his combat sports career, he had the chance to train with the likes of Raymond Daniels. After he transitioned to mixed martial arts, he spent time at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, where he helped Georges St. Pierre prepare for his showdown with then-UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Thanks to his background in point fighting, Barry’s best weapons are speed, timing and precision. All of his victories have come by stoppage, all inside one round.

Barry’s first MMA appearance went down in September 2017, when he smashed Thomas Thatcher with punches in the first round of their Shamrock Fighting Championships 294 encounter. Soon after, he was offered the chance to compete under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner and suffered his only career defeat, as Anthony Taylor submitted him with a rear-naked choke 39 seconds into the second round at BAMMA 35 on May 12, 2018. The fight seemed to go according to plan for Barry in the opening period, where he imposed his style, kept his opponent at bay and defended all of Taylor’s takedown attempts. However, “Pretty Boy” secured a single-leg takedown early in Round 2. Once on the mat, he quickly jumped on Barry’s back, cinched the choke and forced the tap.

What a shot. Dean "The Sniper" Barry crushes Abdulla Al Bousheiri with a left hook. KO1 #UAEWarriors13 pic.twitter.com/nModHCv5IC
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) September 25, 2020

Barry bounced back with a first-round stoppage at the expense of Corey Samuels at Titan Fighting Championship 55 in 2019. The Team Ryano MMA standout then nailed down his most important victory to date inside the UAE Warriors promotion. There, he knocked out Abdulla Al Bousheiri with only 30 seconds remaining in their clash at UAE Warriors 13 on Sept. 25, 2020. Al Bousheiri missed the lightweight limit by seven pounds. Barry kept his head amid all the tumult and ultimately punished his overweight counterpart with a stinging left hook.

Initially, Barry expected to make his UFC debut sooner than 2022, but a series of unfortunate events undermined his efforts. He saw four scheduled fights fall through due to injuries in 2021. Almost out of desperation, Barry accepted a bout with journeyman Drew Lipton at Titan 73 on Dec. 17. He made quick work of his opponent in just 21 seconds, prompting the stoppage with unanswered punches. It was enough for the UFC to offer him another chance on the big stage.