It looks like the UFC is banking on another Irish star to be born. It was announced on Wednesday that Joseph Duffy will headline the UFC’s return to Ireland against Dustin Poirier.
Though the proposed match up against Poirier would only be Duffy’s third bout in the UFC, the company feels strongly enough that he can main event a card, especially in his native Ireland. Duffy (14-1) has been nothing short of impressive in his two fights in the UFC. He debuted for the company back in March of this year and scored a KO win over Jake Lindsey and followed that up with a submission win over Ivan Jorge just a few short weeks ago at the Fight Night event that took place in Scotland.
Duffy is also known by MMA fans as the last man to defeat interim featherweight Conor McGregror. Duffy defeated McGregor in 2010 while they both competed in the Ireland promotion CWFC. Duffy won the bout via an arm-triangle choke and though fans have been clamoring for a rematch between the two, Duffy has stated that he intends to stay a lightweight.
In Porirer (18-4), Duffy will find an opponent who is in a bit of a resurgence. After losing to McGregor in 2014, Poirier decided to ditch the featherweight division and move up to lightweight. Since the move he has gon 2-0 with both wins coming by way of knockout.
The fight card is expected to take place on October 24 and be held at the 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland.