Top British MMA coach Dean Amasinger has teased a return to competition under the banner of newly formed promotion Macto Championships with a social media jab aimed at middleweight contender Leeroy Barnes.
Speaking via Twitter, Amasinger took exception to Barnes’ affiliation with Nottingham’s Team Rough House, a renowned stable of fighters founded by British MMA icons Paul Daley and Dan Hardy, with the likes of Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, Jimmy Wallhead, Nick Osipczak and Amasinger himself serving as original members.
Amasinger appears ready and keen to dust off an old rivalry with Barnes after three years of inactivity as a fighter. Now 31-years-old, Dean ‘Renegade’ Amasinger (9-6) featured on The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom in 2009 and defeated Alex Reid to solidify his place on Team UK.
Amasinger has since made a name for himself as the UK’s top MMA coach, not only working with Rough House originals, but also featuring on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes in 2012 as a coach of Team UK alongside Ross Pearson. Furthermore, he has coached a number of the UK’s top young talent including the newly crowned BAMMA World Bantamweight Champion Ed Arthur and Swedish standout Max Nunes.
In contrast, 27 fight veteran Leeroy Barnes (12-15) is on a 5 fight slide since his last victory, but the Blackpool native recently noted his return to Ricky Hatton’s boxing Academy to polish up on his striking, and this coupled with a motivational feud could be the ingredients needed to get the outspoken Barnes back on track.
Macto Championships present their inaugural event on June 27 at Arena: MK in Milton Keynes with a main event featuring London’s Wendle Lewis taking UFC veteran Nick Osipczak who makes his much anticipated return to MMA, and a co-main bout between fearsome strikers Alex Montagnani and David Round.
There’s no doubt that Dean Amasinger getting back in the game would generate a buzz throughout the MMA community. MMA Plus will keep you updated on any further developments.
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