A LOT OF buzz greeted the news – first reported in The42.ie – that Joseph Duffy had signed a contract to fight in the UFC.

The reason for the excitement, besides the fact that Duffy has a 12-1 record, is that he is the last man to beat Conor McGregor, submitting The Notorious at a Cage Warriors event in Cork back in 2010.

Duffy also has a win against highly-rated Antrim fighter Norman Parke on his CV, so a lot is expected of his UFC debut.

We now know the date when Duffy will join the ever-increasing list of Irish fighters to compete in the world’s marquee MMA promotion and it is 14 March, less than two months away.

His opponent will be veteran Brazilian-American fighter Vagner Rocha, who has an 11-4 record.  The bout will be part of the UFC 185 card, which is headlined by lightweight champion Anthony Pettis’ title fight with Rafael Dos Anjos.

McGregor is undefeated since losing to Duffy, and beat Dennis Siver at UFC Boston last night to set up a title fight with Jose Aldo in May.

The Notorious has come a long way since that loss back in 2010.

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