JOSEPH DUFFY IS completely focused on his UFC Dublin main-event meeting with Dustin Poirier for now.
However, given how keen the UFC clearly are when it comes to promoting the Donegal native, it seems increasingly likely that the organisation could eventually push him in the direction of one of his former opponents.
Duffy submitted Conor McGregor when the pair fought back in November 2010. McGregor is waiting to knock Jose Aldo off his perch at the summit of the UFC’s featherweight division, but the Dubliner has made no secret of his desire to eventually move up to lightweight.
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That’s where Duffy currently resides, so a switch to the 155lbs weight-class would only serve to fuel the fire for a rematch between the two biggest names in Irish MMA.
Duffy was in Dublin yesterday for the announcement of his 24 October meeting with Poirier at the 3Arena. When asked about the outcome of a potential second meeting with McGregor, Duffy said he’s not daunted by his fellow Irishman’s striking prowess… or his ability to intimidate his opponents.
“I believe a lot of the people Conor has fought have crumbled,” Duffy told The42. “In all fairness to him, he’s made them crumble. He’s stepped into them, he’s pressured them and he’s gotten in their heads. That’s not going to happen with me.”
Duffy, who had a 7-0 record during a short stint as a professional boxer, added: “I’ve boxed with some of the top boxers in the world: James DeGale, Andy Lee, Chris Eubank Jnr, George Groves… I’ve been in the ring with these guys and I wasn’t frightened to tear it up with them.
“It’ll be no different with Conor. I’ll sit on his chest, pressure him for five rounds and I won’t be the one quitting.”
When news of Jose Aldo’s injury emerged in the weeks preceding the scheduled meeting with McGregor in Las Vegas earlier this month, Duffy swiftly took to social media to offer his services as a replacement. The headline slot at UFC 189 went to Chad Mendes instead, but should a similar opportunity arise in the future, will Duffy do the same again?
“We’ll see where we’re at for that particular time,” he said. “Obviously that was a massive card and it was a big loss to it when Jose pulled out. There were a lot of Irish fans travelling across so I thought it was a good opportunity because there’s a bit of history there that the UFC could work with.
“I think a lot of people are interested in seeing that fight so that’s why I kind of piped up. We’ll see what happens down the line.”
However, Duffy was eager to point out that a hypothetical fight against Conor McGregor isn’t a priority at the moment. He knows he’s got a big enough challenge on his hands in overcoming Dustin Poirier in just over 12 weeks’ time.
Duffy: “I’m leaving that to the side for now and concentrating on who’s in front of me. I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself. I’ll keep beating who’s in front of me and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Tickets to UFC Dublin at the 3Arena go on sale on Friday, 4 September. See more UFC programming, including The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber, in the Republic of Ireland on BT Sport (part of the Setanta Sports Pack).
'Conor makes his opponents crumble but that won't happen with me' - Duffy
JOSEPH DUFFY IS completely focused on his UFC Dublin main-event meeting with Dustin Poirier for now.
However, given how keen the UFC clearly are when it comes to promoting the Donegal native, it seems increasingly likely that the organisation could eventually push him in the direction of one of his former opponents.
Duffy submitted Conor McGregor when the pair fought back in November 2010. McGregor is waiting to knock Jose Aldo off his perch at the summit of the UFC’s featherweight division, but the Dubliner has made no secret of his desire to eventually move up to lightweight.
That’s where Duffy currently resides, so a switch to the 155lbs weight-class would only serve to fuel the fire for a rematch between the two biggest names in Irish MMA.
Duffy was in Dublin yesterday for the announcement of his 24 October meeting with Poirier at the 3Arena. When asked about the outcome of a potential second meeting with McGregor, Duffy said he’s not daunted by his fellow Irishman’s striking prowess… or his ability to intimidate his opponents.
“I believe a lot of the people Conor has fought have crumbled,” Duffy told The42. “In all fairness to him, he’s made them crumble. He’s stepped into them, he’s pressured them and he’s gotten in their heads. That’s not going to happen with me.”
Duffy, who had a 7-0 record during a short stint as a professional boxer, added: “I’ve boxed with some of the top boxers in the world: James DeGale, Andy Lee, Chris Eubank Jnr, George Groves… I’ve been in the ring with these guys and I wasn’t frightened to tear it up with them.
When news of Jose Aldo’s injury emerged in the weeks preceding the scheduled meeting with McGregor in Las Vegas earlier this month, Duffy swiftly took to social media to offer his services as a replacement. The headline slot at UFC 189 went to Chad Mendes instead, but should a similar opportunity arise in the future, will Duffy do the same again?
“We’ll see where we’re at for that particular time,” he said. “Obviously that was a massive card and it was a big loss to it when Jose pulled out. There were a lot of Irish fans travelling across so I thought it was a good opportunity because there’s a bit of history there that the UFC could work with.
However, Duffy was eager to point out that a hypothetical fight against Conor McGregor isn’t a priority at the moment. He knows he’s got a big enough challenge on his hands in overcoming Dustin Poirier in just over 12 weeks’ time.
Duffy: “I’m leaving that to the side for now and concentrating on who’s in front of me. I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself. I’ll keep beating who’s in front of me and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Tickets to UFC Dublin at the 3Arena go on sale on Friday, 4 September. See more UFC programming, including The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber, in the Republic of Ireland on BT Sport (part of the Setanta Sports Pack).
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