We’re all still coming to terms with the news that Joe Duffy will no longer be propping up the UFC Dublin card but there’s one bearded flyweight who can still save the day.
Duffy was forced out of the main event of the UFC’s third trip to the Irish capital after suffering a concussion in the closing stages of his training camp.
It’s awful. Really, really awful.
With just three days until the opening bell of the event, there is no time to find a replacement for Dustin Poirier so Paddy Holohan has been promoted to main event status.
And that’s not awful. Not awful at all.
There’s an argument to be made that The Hooligan should have been main event all along as he’s probably the most recognisable Irish fighter aside from Conor McGregor competing in the UFC.
While he insisted to us that he was not bitter about being overlooked for the chance at main eventing the card in his hometown, many expected him to be offered the headline fight if an Irishman was to be given the slot.
He’s 3-1 in the UFC and has looked damn impressive in every one of his wins, the latest of which came by way of smothering grappling exhibition against the veteran Vaughan Lee.
There was always the sense of Joe Duffy being rushed into a main event against Dustin Poirier because of the fact that both fighters were able to be imagined in the context of Conor McGregor, the undisputed poster boy of Irish MMA. Not a promo was produced without Duffy being touted as “the last man to beat McGregor” and Poirier was the obvious opponent as Irish fans already knew who he was.
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People will say that it’s crazy having a fighter with four UFC fights, like Paddy, headline an entire card but Joe Duffy had just two fights and there was no issue with it because people knew him as “the McGregor slayer.”
Don’t get me wrong. Duffy’s absence from the fight card is devastating. Not just for Saturday night but for the down-the-line plans of the UFC because the victor of the now non-existent Duffy v Poirier could have been set up as an ideal first match-up for McGregor in the UFC’s lightweight division as both narratives would have made sense.
But why wouldn’t the UFC want to build an Irish fighter away from McGregor-mania?
Paddy Holohan is a star in the making and he could well be the saviour for the UFC’s struggling flyweight division.
Granted, he’s probably not ready to face a Demetrious Johnson in terms of skill-sets but he’s more than capable of selling a fight with the 125 lbs kingpin.
Irish MMA needs somebody other than Conor McGregor to keep it afloat because The Notorious can only fight a few times a year and with another couple of victories, Holohan could be that fighter.
He’s got the distinctive look, the unorthodox stye and the charming personality to follow the path that McGregor has paved for Irish fighters.
I don’t think there are many people out there that would prefer to see Chris Cariaso, rather than Paddy Holohan, fight DJ for the belt so why not nurture and cultivate Holohan as a challenger? It just makes sense.
And it can all start on Saturday night!
A win over a game opponent in Louis Smolka would likely lead Holohan to a top-15 guy. With another win and considering the fact that Johnson has run through almost everyone at 125 lbs, why wouldn’t Holohan be in the title frame?
There is a certain air that exudes from special fighters and, having interviewed him a number of times, I can tell you that The Hooligan has got it.
But special fighters can never become special fighters if they’re stuck on the undercard just because they weigh 9 stone and don’t have the knockout power of a heavyweight.
This is Holohan’s opportunity. In front of his adoring hometown crowd, Holohan gets the chance to say “I’m ready for the big show!”
Smolka! That’s all that stands between Holohan and a career-defining victory, a shot at top-level competition and a lovely, celebratory cup of tea.
