ON Wednesday it was confirmed that Donegal native Joe Duffy – Ireland’s next big UFC star – will headline his own show at the 3Arena in Dublin on October 24.
Indeed, Duffy is already well known in MMA circles due to the fact that he’s the last man to beat UFC Interim Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor, Ireland’s global star of the combat sport.
He’ll fight American Dustin Poirier in what will be his third fight since joining the UFC, the elite division of fighters in MMA. We caught up with the 27-year-old to talk about everything from GAA to a potential re-match with McGregor in Croke Park...
Q: Thanks for speaking with The Irish Post Joe and congratulations on the news that you’ll be headlining the show in Dublin on October 24, how does that make you feel?
A: “It’s exactly what I’ve been after, I’ve been chasing these big fights from the get go and, to be honest, it’s a dream come true to be headlining my own show in the capital.”
Q: What’s your impression of Dustin Poirier then, do you see any weaknesses that you can maybe exploit?
A: “It’s the same with any fight, including myself – we’re always working on our games to improve weaknesses and he’ll be no different. But, yes, there’s always holes you can exploit.”
Q: You’re known for your ability to win by submission, can we expect more of the same from Joe Duffy on October 24 or will you be out to show there’s more to you than that?
A: “I try not to plan too much for this sort of stuff, I tend to let the fight unfold and whatever opportunities I’m given, I’ll take them.”
Duffy attempts to submit Damien Lapilus last year (Picture: Inpho)Q: You lost via submission yourself to Ivan Musardo back in 2011, is that something you’re still vulnerable to?
A: “No, I wouldn’t say so. That was one of those fights were I felt I was dominating, but I was doing so with a broken hand, so I had no choice but to scramble because I was worried about permanent damage to my hand. Obviously, I got caught, and I couldn’t defend the choke very well because of my hand, and all credit to him. But I’m confident that that area is up to scratch.”
Q: Are you still training in London and, if so, how are you finding life here?
A: “No I’m currently based in Montreal, pretty much full-time at the minute. But my girlfriend is still in London so in between flights I’m popping back over, doing bits and pieces.”
Q: You have seven wins and no defeats as a professional boxer, is that something you’d ever considering taking up again?
A: “No, my time in boxing is done now. I enjoyed the experience but I had some hand trouble and MMA is what I love doing the most. This is where I feel at home, so that’s definitely the end of my boxing career.”
Q: What is it about MMA that lured you to the sport away from boxing?
A: “Truthfully, it’s something I kind of half stumbled upon. I’ve been training in martial arts since I was five – I was l learning kick-boxing and taekwondo, and then I started learning jujitsu, so it was just something that kind of happened naturally rather than being lured to.”
Q: You’re well known for being the last man to defeat Conor McGregor. That was back in 2010, but would you be confident of beating him right now?
A: “Yes, without a doubt. I’m training at one of the best gyms in the world and I believe that the competition that I come up against every day is more than enough to get me ready to beat Conor…again.”
Q: What do you make of the success he’s gone on to have?
A: “He’s done well, he’s done very well, and all credit to him. I have big respect for Conor, but now it’s my turn to concentrate on what I’m doing.”
Q: How about you two getting it on again someday, perhaps a huge event at Croke Park?
A: “That’s the ideal scenario. It’d be a great match-up. Maybe both of us will have titles and we could have a super-fight in Croke Park, winner takes all. That’s the dream.”
Q: Just finally, Joe. You’re a Donegal man and you like your GAA. What do you make of their chances in the All-Ireland this year?
A: “I don’t get to watch too much of it over in Montreal, not having RTE, but I’ve got that GAA Go app now, or sometimes I can get the games on the radio over there. I don’t know how they’ll bounce back from the Monaghan defeat, but for the last few years Donegal have seemed to really turn it up just in time for the All-Ireland run-in. We have a tough game against Galway coming up and, touch wood, hopefully they can get through that one and get the ball rolling again.”
