Dean Barry vs Drew Lipton Set for Titan FC 73
A 165lbs catchweight fight between Dean “The Sniper” Barry (3-1) and Drew “The Spider Monkey” Lipton (6-30) has been finalized for Titan FC 73 on Friday, December 17, in Miami, Florida. Multiple sources with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to MyMMANews.com.
Lipton steps in as a late-notice replacement after Barry’s original opponent, Colombian Hugo Prada (8-4), withdrew from the contest.
https://twitter.com/deanbarry92/status/1466403716907646991
Speaking to MyMMANews.com, Barry vented his frustration at the difference in opponent level between Prada and Lipton:
“Of course we’re disappointed that I couldn’t fight Hugo, he had a good record. This guy [Lipton] contacted us for the fight. He wanted to fight me, he was ready. A fight fell through for him last week. We had two other guys, and they fell through, so I’m just happy that I can fight!”
The Dubliner has been putting in work at Sanford MMA and American Combat Gym in Florida ahead of his upcoming fight, and the former UFC signee believes that the opponent is largely irrelevant when it comes to putting on a performance on the 17th:
“This man [Lipton] is just another body in front of me. Whatever I’m going to do to him, I would have done to anybody on the night. I’m very confident in that!”
Originally scheduled to make his UFC debut against Mike Jackson, the bout was postponed and ultimately scrapped. “The Sniper” is looking to issue a statement performance as he returns to the Titan FC cage, with a plan to return to the UFC stage and finally make his debut following a win over Lipton.
“I’m going to go out and put a mark on, I’m going to finish him in fantastic fashion, and I’m going to secure my contract with the UFC again. People are going to realize why I got signed with such few fights and why the UFC are very eager for me!”
This will be Barry’s second time competing under the Titan FC promotional banner, having previously scored a 1st-round KO win over Corey Samuels in 2019.
Drew Lipton is without a win since 2016. More recently, Lipton has competed frequently in MMA, boxing and bare-knuckle fighting. Stepping into the cage at Titan FC 73 on December 17 will mark Lipton’s 6th fight in 2021, though he was finished in all his previous five fights this year.
