From the main event of UFC Dublin to the Fight Pass prelims of UFC 195 and Donegal’s Joe Duffy couldn’t care less.
The Irish lightweight finally gets to touch gloves with Dustin Poirier this weekend and Duffy doesn’t care where he is on the card.
“It doesn’t bother me in the least that we’ve gone down the card,” Duffy said.
“The fight was due to be on Fight Pass for UFC Dublin because the promotion wanted to build interest from customers and fair play to the UFC because now you can still see me and Dustin fight on Fight Pass. And with the European audience, it’s still not too late a night because I’ll be fighting early in the card and it will be easy to tune in.
“You could take it as a compliment that they’re pushing Fight Pass and they wanted me and Dustin in the Fight Pass prelims main event, like they’re giving customers what they want.
“It’s a big opportunity to put on a show for the Fight Pass fans and it’s an honour that they’re promoting it. I’m excited.”
Duffy famously had to withdraw at the last minute from the initially scheduled meeting with Poirier in October after suffering a concussion in his final sparring session but he’s revealed that he hasn’t changed anything in preparation for the rescheduled bout.
“I’ve not really done anything differently,” he said. “Last time was a freak accident. Never before have I ever had to pull out of a fight. Accidents happen.
“I’ve got the team in place to make sure that everything’s gone according to plan. The plan was to use Boxing Day as my last sparring session and I think that if you’re too careful then accidents can happen more because you’re too tense.
“We’re always sensible in Tristar and I like the way I prepare. This is a contact sport at the end of the day.”
With a fight on January 2, it will have been the first time in his career that Duffy’s Christmas was interrupted by the fight game but the Donegal man wasn’t overly concerned by the scheduling.
“I was home in October for UFC Dublin,” Duffy explained. “I spent a week or 10 days back here and I was straight back out to Montreal. This is where I train and I’ve set my life up out here.
“My family are coming over for the Poirier fight and I’m so lucky to have such a close network in place of family and friends.
“Christmas for us is going to be on January 3rd. The fight happens on Saturday night and we’re going to sit down on Sunday for Christmas dinner.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had to do the whole weight cut over Christmas. In all my other MMA bouts, I’d always fight throughout the year.
“Of course I’d love to have spent more time with my family and friends over Christmas but after the disappointment of Dublin, I had nothing else but fighting on my mind. When the UFC called me to offer me a date, I didn’t think twice about it. I just wanted to get back into it.”
Watch Joe in action at UFC 195: Lawler vs Condit, live on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday, January 2.
