THE MAIN EVENT for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next visit to Dublin has been confirmed.
As reported by The42 this morning, Ireland’s Joseph Duffy will take on Dustin Poirier — who’s ranked 14th in the lightweight division — in the main event at the 3Arena on Saturday, 24 October.
During an appearance on Ireland AM on TV3 earlier on, the news was confirmed by Duffy, who said: “October 24, I’m headlining against Dustin Poirier. This will be my first time headlining and it’s a ranked opponent as well. You climb the rankings and you keep going until you’re fighting for that belt.”
Duffy (14-1), a native of Donegal who’s now based at the renowned Tristar gym in Montreal, has taken the MMA world by storm since signing for the UFC this year, starting his time with the organisation with impressive first-round wins against Jake Lindsey and Ivan Jorge.
The 27-year-old, who’s also known for a win over Conor McGregor in 2010, is in Dublin today for a round of media interviews and appearances to promote the event, for which tickets will go on general sale on Friday, 4 September.
Taking on the 26-year-old American in a main event will represent a significant step-up for Duffy, who has risen rapidly from from debutant to main event status in the UFC in the space of just four months.
This time last year, Duffy hadn’t competed in an MMA bout in almost three years, having taken a hiatus from the sport in order to focus on professional boxing. Now, he’s preparing to fight in the main event of what’s sure to be another sell-out show.
Since losing to Conor McGregor in a featherweight bout last September, Poirier (18-4) has moved to the lightweight division where he has picked up back-to-back first-round stoppages of Yancy Medeiros and Carlos Diego Ferreira.
No other fights have officially been set for UFC Dublin just yet, but the card is expected to feature several more Irish fighters, such as Cathal Pendred — who has confirmed on Twitter that he has already agreed a fight — and Paddy Holohan, who’s being tipped for a flyweight bout with Louis Smolka.
