BELLATOR PRESIDENT SCOTT Coker has confirmed that the organisation would be interested in signing Joseph Duffy if his contract dispute with the UFC isn’t resolved.
Duffy revealed to The42 last month that he has one fight remaining on his current deal with the UFC. However, the Donegal native is unhappy with the terms being offered to him to extend his stay with the organisation.
In a subsequent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Duffy said that he’ll be forced to enter free agency after completing the last bout on his contract if the UFC doesn’t improve its offer.
Should Duffy become unattached, he would be a prime candidate to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Benson Henderson, Chael Sonnen and his Tristar team-mate Rory MacDonald, all of whom left the UFC this year to join Bellator.
“If a free agent of that calibre becomes available, we’ll want to have a conversation with him,” Coker told The42. “Obviously we can’t have a conversation until they are free, so we haven’t had a conversation with him. But that’s how we got Rory MacDonald. That’s how we got Benson Henderson. That’s how we got Chael Sonnen.”
Duffy (16-2) signed with the UFC in January 2015 and has competed four times for the organisation. Three first-round wins and a decision loss to Dustin Poirier have left him with a 3-1 ledger in the octagon since his move from Cage Warriors.
Coker, who is hoping to bring Bellator to Ireland before the end of 2016, confirmed that although he has yet to see Duffy in action, his matchmakers are well aware of what the 28-year-old lightweight is capable of. However, he reiterated that they won’t make a move until Duffy is officially on the free market.
“I haven’t seen him fight but I hear his name being bounced around a lot and our guys have been mentioning him to me,” Coker said. “We’ll definitely take a look but it’s tough because we might take a hard look at him and he may end up resolving his dispute, so let’s see how that goes.”
Last of the United greats
@John Harte: that header at stoke
@John Harte: A very likeable player.
Staying and scoring 40 goal’s is that before, during or after the tantrum ‘s?
On Fergie, no other Utd manager will get the same disproportionate financial advantage as Fergie had. He robbed Villa and Spurs of their best player’s. With all the money all PL club’s get that advantage has been eroded. Furthermore, the top 4 all get greater money in CL qualification than available 10 year’s ago. Therefore, if Utd can’t qualify the financial advantage they used to have gets eroded even further. The problem is the expectation of their fan’s versus the new reality.
@Daniel Kelly: you are talking absolutely bs, 1st regards taking villa/spurs best players jesus you would think utd absolutely drained them throughout the years, Sheringham, berbatov,Carrick,Yorke with villa, who else?? That’s in nearly 25yrs..To this day all the top clubs have and are still buying the best players from the lesser clubs it has always happened and yes champions lge money helps give your head a good wobble there its not as if fergie or utd created this..
@Pauly Kel: Just like Big Jack Charlton had the best crop of Irish player’s ever…. Fergie had a financial stranglehold on the PL with revenues exceeding all other club’s. He plundered the above plus West Ham, Leeds, Forrest, Wigan et al for their best player’s. My point stands Kane ain’t swapping Spurs now for old toilet! Thanks for listening……
He is still there!