Dean Barry vs Adam Shelley Targeted for Cage Warriors Dublin

Image credit: UFC / Cage Warriors (Dolly Clew)

A lightweight showdown between Irish fighters Dean Barry (4-2) and Adam Shelley (3-2) is targeted for Cage Warriors 153 on Saturday 29th April in Dublin’s 3Arena.

Barry first announced the matchup against fellow Dubliner Shelley in a since edited Instagram post. SevereMMA have confirmed with sources that the fight is in the works, with contracts expected to be signed and an official announcement to follow.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dean Barry (@deanbarrymma)

It will be the first time that Barry competes since suffering a 1st-round DQ loss to Mike Jackson in his UFC debut. “The Sniper” was subsequently released from the UFC following their April 2022 meeting. Following his UFC exit, Barry was scheduled for a quick turnaround on Titan FC 77 in June, but health complications during his weight cut forced the Team Ryano fighter out of the matchup. The 30-year-old Tallaght native was subsequently signed to Karate Combat in July, however, his August debut was scrapped due to visa obstructions.

The matchup versus Shelley offers up a battle between striking specialists for Irish MMA fans. A former multiple-time striking champion, Barry will face a familiar style in Team KF’s Adam Shelley. Shelley was a two-time taekwondo world champion before transitioning to MMA.

Shelley bounced back to winning ways in his last Cage Warriors outing, besting El Hadji Ndiaye over three rounds at Cage Warriors 145 in November. The Whitehall fighter had an active 2022, fighting three times with two victories, and will make the walk for the 4th time wearing the famous yellow gloves when he faces Barry.

With Barry boasting a 100% finish rate in his pro wins (4 KOs) and Shelley garnering 5 KOs across amateur and pro, this matchup has the potential for fireworks.

Barry vs Shelley joins a growing number of Irish bouts announced for Cage Warriors return to 3Arena on Saturday April 29th. Full card to date below:

Main event: Welterweight Title Unification: Rhys McKee vs Jimmy Wallhead
Welterweight bout: James Sheehan vs Oban Elliott
Featherweight bout: Ryan Shelley vs Tobias Harila
Lightweight bout: Dean Barry vs Adam Shelley
Featherweight bout: Constantin Blanita vs Dorian Cliucinicov
Middleweight bout: Kyle McClurkin vs Owain Williams

Tickets for Cage Warriors 153 can be purchased on Ticketmaster.