A native of Meenbanad in Donegal, Duffy and his family moved to the Welsh town of Ebbw Vale not long after he was born. Make no mistake, however: he’s Irish through and through, which fans will have noticed from the ‘Dún na nGall’ tattoo across his back and the tricolour that accompanies him to the octagon for every fight. Despite moving to Wales at such a young age, Duffy regularly returned to Donegal over the years — and did so as recently as last week following his latest UFC win.
2. He’s now training in Canada with some of the best fighters in the world
After a few years living in London, Duffy relocated to Montreal back in February to join the renowned Tristar team. The gym is known for producing notable fighters like legendary former UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre and recent 170lbs title challenger Rory MacDonald.
Rory MacDonald is a Tristar team-mate of Joseph Duffy's. John Locher
John Locher
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3. He was minutes away from becoming a Cage Warriors champion
In October 2011, Duffy fought Ivan Musardo for the Cage Warriors lightweight title. The Irishman completely dominated the fight for three rounds before breaking his hand when he connected with an uppercut. In the fourth round, Duffy slipped when throwing a leg-kick and the Italian pounced to lock in a guillotine and snatch an unlikely win, giving Duffy what remains his only defeat to date. Musardo was succeeded as Cage Warriors’ lightweight champion by a chap by the name of Conor McGregor.
4. He featured on The Ultimate Fighter at the age of just 21
He may not have made it into the house but the fact that Duffy featured in a preliminary bout on the 12th season of the UFC’s reality series was an early sign of his potential. Duffy, who was the only professional fighter at a small gym in Wales at the time, was eliminated by Kyle Watson.
A young Joseph Duffy on The Ultimate Fighter in 2010. UFCUFC
5. He was an undefeated professional boxer
Following the aforementioned Cage Warriors loss to Ivan Musardo, Duffy decided to swap mixed martial arts for boxing and it appeared to be a wise choice too. He progressed quickly in the ring, clocking up a 7-0 record. However, he was eventually drawn back to MMA and is currently riding a four-fight win streak since returning to the cage.
Duffy had a successful stint as a professional boxer. Tommy Lakes
Tommy Lakes
6. 85% of his wins have come in the first round
Duffy isn’t a fan of leaving his fights in the hands of the judges. Of his 14 professional wins, 12 have come inside the very first round — including his last three. That current run of quick victories started back in November with this incredible KO of Julien Boussuge.
His knockout ability was on display against Boussuge and Jake Lindsey but Duffy can do it all. In addition to his unblemished boxing record and taekwondo black belt, the 27-year-old is a black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu and is also very adept at the Brazilian variety, in which he appears to have improved enormously under the guidance of top coach Firas Zahabi at Tristar. Most of Duffy’s wins have actually been secured by submission and he showed off his slick ground-game in his defeat of Ivan Jorge in Glasgow earlier this month.
8. He holds a notable victory over fellow Irish UFC star…
…Norman Parke. Yep, Duffy submitted the Antrim native via first-round rear-naked choke in March 2010. He’s had some other big wins too, which you may have heard a thing or two about.
8 facts you should know about the Donegal man headlining the UFC's next Dublin event
1. He was born in Ireland but raised in Wales
A native of Meenbanad in Donegal, Duffy and his family moved to the Welsh town of Ebbw Vale not long after he was born. Make no mistake, however: he’s Irish through and through, which fans will have noticed from the ‘Dún na nGall’ tattoo across his back and the tricolour that accompanies him to the octagon for every fight. Despite moving to Wales at such a young age, Duffy regularly returned to Donegal over the years — and did so as recently as last week following his latest UFC win.
2. He’s now training in Canada with some of the best fighters in the world
After a few years living in London, Duffy relocated to Montreal back in February to join the renowned Tristar team. The gym is known for producing notable fighters like legendary former UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre and recent 170lbs title challenger Rory MacDonald.
3. He was minutes away from becoming a Cage Warriors champion
In October 2011, Duffy fought Ivan Musardo for the Cage Warriors lightweight title. The Irishman completely dominated the fight for three rounds before breaking his hand when he connected with an uppercut. In the fourth round, Duffy slipped when throwing a leg-kick and the Italian pounced to lock in a guillotine and snatch an unlikely win, giving Duffy what remains his only defeat to date. Musardo was succeeded as Cage Warriors’ lightweight champion by a chap by the name of Conor McGregor.
4. He featured on The Ultimate Fighter at the age of just 21
He may not have made it into the house but the fact that Duffy featured in a preliminary bout on the 12th season of the UFC’s reality series was an early sign of his potential. Duffy, who was the only professional fighter at a small gym in Wales at the time, was eliminated by Kyle Watson.
5. He was an undefeated professional boxer
Following the aforementioned Cage Warriors loss to Ivan Musardo, Duffy decided to swap mixed martial arts for boxing and it appeared to be a wise choice too. He progressed quickly in the ring, clocking up a 7-0 record. However, he was eventually drawn back to MMA and is currently riding a four-fight win streak since returning to the cage.
6. 85% of his wins have come in the first round
Duffy isn’t a fan of leaving his fights in the hands of the judges. Of his 14 professional wins, 12 have come inside the very first round — including his last three. That current run of quick victories started back in November with this incredible KO of Julien Boussuge.
7. He’s comfortable with all aspects of the game
His knockout ability was on display against Boussuge and Jake Lindsey but Duffy can do it all. In addition to his unblemished boxing record and taekwondo black belt, the 27-year-old is a black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu and is also very adept at the Brazilian variety, in which he appears to have improved enormously under the guidance of top coach Firas Zahabi at Tristar. Most of Duffy’s wins have actually been secured by submission and he showed off his slick ground-game in his defeat of Ivan Jorge in Glasgow earlier this month.
8. He holds a notable victory over fellow Irish UFC star…
…Norman Parke. Yep, Duffy submitted the Antrim native via first-round rear-naked choke in March 2010. He’s had some other big wins too, which you may have heard a thing or two about.
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