Joseph Duffy will headline the UFC's return to Ireland when he takes on lightweight Dustin Poirier in the main event in Dublin.
Speaking on Ireland AM on TV3 this morning, Duffy confirmed that he'll be taking on the division's 14th ranked fighter at the 3Arena on Saturday, 24 October.
“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," he said during his appearance.
BREAKING!! @DustinPoirier vs. @Duffy_MMA announced as main event for #UFCDublin! Tix: https://t.co/qEkxR0YL13 pic.twitter.com/RZJNtposDZ
— UFC UK (@UFC_UK) July 29, 2015
The Donegal native, who’s now based at the renowned Tristar gym in Montreal, has enjoyed life in the UFC so far with impressive first-round wins against Jake Lindsey and Ivan Jorge.
The 27-year-old, with a professional record of 14-1, is also known for his win over UFC featherweight interim champion, Conor McGregor and is in Dublin today to promote the fight.
This time last year Duffy hadn't competed in a bout in almost three years, taking a hiatus to focus on professional boxing, and now returns to the scene where McGregor overcame Diego Brandao in one round en route to clinching the interim world title.
Poirier's opening round defeat to McGregor in September last year prompted the 26-year-old to move up a weight class and now poses a serious challenge, carrying a professional record of 18-4.
Since moving to the lightweight division, Poirier has picked up back-to-back first-round stoppages of Yancy Medeiros and Carlos Diego Ferreira.
The event is expected to be another sell-out event, with tickets going on general release on September 4th.
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