JOSEPH DUFFY WILL make his UFC debut next weekend as a lightweight, but his future may not be in the 155lbs division.
Duffy, who hails from Donegal, is set to take on 28-year-old American Jake Lindsey at UFC 185 in Dallas a week tomorrow — Saturday, 14 March.
But having competed in the lightweight division throughout his seven-year professional career, Duffy is now considering making a move to featherweight after next week’s bout.
As he prepares for his first taste of UFC action, the former undefeated professional boxer is currently based at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, the home of legendary ex-UFC champion Georges St-Pierre and forthcoming title challenger Rory MacDonald.
Duffy is fully focused on making a successful start to life in the UFC against Lindsey, but the 27-year-old says he may take some time before scheduling his next fight in order to explore the possibility of making a cut to the 145lbs division.
Speaking to The42 this afternoon, Duffy said: “I’m thinking about 145, so there might be a bit of a delay until the next fight. I’ll take this fight and just evaluate things from there.”
For his current weight-cut, Duffy has been working with George Lockhart, an ex-professional fighter who is a nutrition consultant for several of the UFC’s top athletes.
“He (Lockhart) knows the science behind it all, inside out, so we’ll totally concentrate on this fight for now and then look at the cut afterwards,” explained Duffy. “We’re playing with the idea at the minute and I’ll take his advice.”
Switching to the featherweight division would see Duffy join Conor McGregor in the weight class. The pair fought — in a lightweight bout — in 2010 and Duffy emerged victorious, but he says the prospect of another meeting with ‘The Notorious’ isn’t what’s prompted him to consider the move.
“No, not really. It’s just since I came out here to Tristar, a lot of the guys have much bigger frames. They’re big guys. I think it’s possible that I could make 145. We’ll see.”
Duffy has been based in London since 2011, but he also confirmed that he’ll be remaining in Canada to become a permanent member of the Tristar team.
