THE IRISH PRESENCE in the UFC continues to grow, with Joseph Duffy inking a multi-fight deal with the promotion today.
TheScore.ie understands that the Donegal lightweight has agreed terms to move to the UFC from Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, Europe’s leading promotion.
Financial details of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but it’s understood to be extremely lucrative in comparison to standard entry-level UFC contracts.
Duffy’s move to the UFC will come as no surprise to MMA fans. With a record of twelve wins and just one loss, the 26-year-old is one of the sport’s most talked-about prospects.
Much of the hype that surrounds Duffy stems from some of his previous wins, which include first-round submissions of current UFC stars Norman Parke and Conor McGregor — the latter inside just 38 seconds.
But having recently returned to MMA after an undefeated seven-fight stint as a professional boxer, Duffy has shown that he’s still getting better and has the potential to be a considerable threat in the UFC’s 155lbs division.
He submitted Damien Lapilus last August at Cage Warriors 70 in Dublin, before stopping Julien Boussuge with a spectacular KO at Cage Warriors 74 in London in November.
UFC officials have been in negotiations with Cage Warriors for quite a while about securing the signature of Duffy, who they expect to be a valuable commodity in the growing Irish MMA market.
Hailing from the coastal Donegal village of Burtonport, Duffy is now based in London and fights out of the MMA Clinic and Team Titan.
As a 22-year-old, Duffy featured on the twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Ten of his twelve professional wins have come in the first round.
The UFC hope to give Duffy his debut in the octagon in March or April. No further details are available just yet, but all we know for now is that it can’t come quick enough.
G’wan Joe!
Bring on the rematch going to be some hype for that !
What rematch? McGregor won’t be stepping up to lightweight for quite a while to come I’d imagine.
Great to hear, he looks top class! Hopefully we’ll see him on the undercard of McGregor v Aldo if all goes well!
Great to hear. Joes a solud fighter.
Solid*
*Solid
Geeee up out of it!!!!
Is there any truth in the rumour that he was practicing his high kicks in a windfarm in Tyrone the other evening ?
There’s no room for humility in that sport. His confidence is a big asset in the octagon, you have to know he’s playing the game when he acts the way he does, you can’t expect him to be down to earth in a tv spot designed to hype his fight
Great another bandwagon im his biggest fan
No, just people happy to see Irish people being good in their sport.
Excellent stuff. This guy is a class fighter.
No article on Jon Jones failing a drugs test?
Is it to much to ask for people to be respectful and just wish Duffy all the very best on the UFC. Irish keyboard troll warriors being negative about the guy are pitiful in my opinion only. As an Irishman I will support any Irish athlete be they be male or female.
The germans have caused this mess, forcing countries into austerity, many warned them not to do it, but they did. Now look what’s happening.
Wait till some tough rough American gets a hold of him then he will be running for his mammy in the hills of Donegal..God bless him
I wish someone would beat some cop on into you.
should of left it alone Ian,should left it alone……
Ian I see you like to beat on women but not on this one,I am a black belt in Judo and I can deliver a forearm smash before you can blink…so don’t under estimate me.
Hahaha.im a black belt judo.i always find it funny how ppl say that crap. There’s no rules, ring or referee in a street fight.pmsl.
On duffy boy
Talk to Joe…
Just wondering did conor McGregor become english mma champ in lightweight division because Joe duffy was taking a break from mma?.after all he finished McGregor quicker than McGregor could ever dream of finishing any1.even his coach hasn’t said he cud finish sum1 in under 30 seconds.its funny to me that such a disrespectful fighter has being finished quicker than any of the fights he’s ever fought and won.hope he gets brought down to earth in a tough fight wit siver. I want McGregor to win but the guy is so low class in his build up to fights,if he’s as good as he thinks why try win the fight before the fight starts?
Just wondering is the only reason McGregor won the lightweight belt in English mma because Joe Duffy wasn’t around at the time?just curious,after all it was ridonkulously easy fight for Joe.28seconds,faster than any of McGregor’s fights me thinks;-)