Joe Duffy Finds Silver Lining in Loss to Dustin Poirier
Joe Duffy Finds Silver Lining in Loss to Dustin Poirier
By Peter CarrollNo fighter wants to lose. Still, there is pressure removed after taking a first loss in the Octagon.Joe Duffy captured the imagination of a
By Peter Carroll
No fighter wants to lose. Still, there is pressure removed after taking a first loss in the Octagon.
Joe Duffy captured the imagination of a nation ahead of his first scheduled bout with Dustin Poirier in October. UFC Dublin would be a massive launch pad for the Donegal man. But days before the fight, Duffy suffered a concussion, and the UFC pulled him from the fight.
The fight eventually took place in January. Despite a resilient showing, Duffy was soundly beaten by Poirier over three rounds. The loss stung, but it also lifted a weight from Duffy's shoulders.
“It’s impossible to keep producing first round finishes every time you get in there,” Duffy told FloCombat. “It’s impossible to live up to that kind of reputation. Stylistically, every fight is different. As you keep winning, your opposition improves.
“After Poirier, it definitely feels like the pressure is off. I didn’t have to roll on through to another fight straight away, so I’ve been able to go back to the gym and work on a lot of things. There is always pressure. It’s always there. It’s something you’re always aware of. I don’t know if that played into the fight at all."
Despite the concussion that removed him from the first scheduled bout, Duffy said he felt no different than he usually does when he competes.
“I didn’t feel affected by the concussion at all physically when we fought. But maybe it was playing on my mind," he said. "Maybe I had something to prove because of the fight being postponed. Maybe I wanted to prove that I hadn’t been affected by it. I got into some wars that maybe I didn’t need to get into. Obviously, I took a lot of shots in that fight. It was nothing new, though, they were the kind of shots I was seeing every day when I was boxing."
Poirier was a big step up from Duffy’s first two opponents in the UFC. Still, many onlookers felt a win would put him squarely in line for a rematch with Conor McGregor.
“It’s hard to speak for UFC, but I was just riding the wave myself. Whatever they came up with it, I was happy to jump at those opportunities,
he said. "Whether they work out for you or they don’t, it’s not like it’s going to stop me in my tracks. It’s just a speed bump and then you get back to work.”
Duffy remains the only man to take Poirier the distance as a UFC lightweight; Poirier has finished all ofter opponents since moving to lightweight. Duffy hopes to take what he learned into his July 7 bout with Mitch Clarke.
“From a fan’s point of view, they’ll look at him and they might think ‘fair play to Joe for going the distance with him," Duffy said. "The fact remains, I lost that fight. Of course, like anyone else, I’ve taken positives from the fight, but it’s not something I’m proud of.
“That’s not me. I’m not going around wearing the fact that I went the distance with him as some kind of badge of honor. When I went in to fight Dustin I believed 100 percent that I was going to beat him, and I didn’t. That’s the bottom line. You can look good against whoever you want and come as close as you want, but it’s irrelevant if your hand isn’t raised. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get the job done. I’ve had some time to work on some things, and hopefully I’ll get back on track next month.”
No fighter wants to lose. Still, there is pressure removed after taking a first loss in the Octagon.
Joe Duffy captured the imagination of a nation ahead of his first scheduled bout with Dustin Poirier in October. UFC Dublin would be a massive launch pad for the Donegal man. But days before the fight, Duffy suffered a concussion, and the UFC pulled him from the fight.
The fight eventually took place in January. Despite a resilient showing, Duffy was soundly beaten by Poirier over three rounds. The loss stung, but it also lifted a weight from Duffy's shoulders.
“It’s impossible to keep producing first round finishes every time you get in there,” Duffy told FloCombat. “It’s impossible to live up to that kind of reputation. Stylistically, every fight is different. As you keep winning, your opposition improves.
“After Poirier, it definitely feels like the pressure is off. I didn’t have to roll on through to another fight straight away, so I’ve been able to go back to the gym and work on a lot of things. There is always pressure. It’s always there. It’s something you’re always aware of. I don’t know if that played into the fight at all."
Despite the concussion that removed him from the first scheduled bout, Duffy said he felt no different than he usually does when he competes.
“I didn’t feel affected by the concussion at all physically when we fought. But maybe it was playing on my mind," he said. "Maybe I had something to prove because of the fight being postponed. Maybe I wanted to prove that I hadn’t been affected by it. I got into some wars that maybe I didn’t need to get into. Obviously, I took a lot of shots in that fight. It was nothing new, though, they were the kind of shots I was seeing every day when I was boxing."
Poirier was a big step up from Duffy’s first two opponents in the UFC. Still, many onlookers felt a win would put him squarely in line for a rematch with Conor McGregor.
“It’s hard to speak for UFC, but I was just riding the wave myself. Whatever they came up with it, I was happy to jump at those opportunities,
he said. "Whether they work out for you or they don’t, it’s not like it’s going to stop me in my tracks. It’s just a speed bump and then you get back to work.”
Duffy remains the only man to take Poirier the distance as a UFC lightweight; Poirier has finished all ofter opponents since moving to lightweight. Duffy hopes to take what he learned into his July 7 bout with Mitch Clarke.
“From a fan’s point of view, they’ll look at him and they might think ‘fair play to Joe for going the distance with him," Duffy said. "The fact remains, I lost that fight. Of course, like anyone else, I’ve taken positives from the fight, but it’s not something I’m proud of.
“That’s not me. I’m not going around wearing the fact that I went the distance with him as some kind of badge of honor. When I went in to fight Dustin I believed 100 percent that I was going to beat him, and I didn’t. That’s the bottom line. You can look good against whoever you want and come as close as you want, but it’s irrelevant if your hand isn’t raised. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get the job done. I’ve had some time to work on some things, and hopefully I’ll get back on track next month.”