Joseph Duffy (born 18 February 1988) is an Irish retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competed in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional since 2008, he has formerly competed for

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. He is also a former professional boxer. He holds a notable victory over the former UFC lightweight and featherweight double-champion,

Conor McGregor Conor Anthony McGregor ( ga, Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He is the first ...

Early life

Duffy is from Meenbanad,

Burtonport or (English name: Burtonport) is a fishing village about northwest of Dungloe in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland. The main employers in the village were the Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op and the ''Bord Iascaigh Mhara Bord ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. His family emigrated when he was young to the industrial town of

Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, from where they travelled back and forth to

regularly. Duffy is an avid

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

fan, and growing up he says "I would always have made it known I wasn’t from Wales", which made his support for Ireland during the Six Nations a bit difficult sometimes. He claimed "if Ireland lost in the rugby, I would try to skip the next day at school, just to avoid the hassle it would bring". Duffy also played the sport through his youth, and despite captaining his school’s rugby team, it was martial arts that always occupied the majority of Duffy’s time. He started with taekwon-do before progressing to traditional jiu-jitsu, a foundation that eventually led him to a career in professional MMA.

Boxing career

Despite knowing from an early age that he wanted to be a MMA fighter, Duffy said "I always wondered how I would get on in boxing". He continued "it was never something I thought about pursuing. I had never boxed, even at amateur, until a few years ago". Duffy cited "the opportunity to work with one of the best coaches in the boxing world" as the main reason for his switch, and the chance "to spar with some of the best fighters in the world;

James DeGale James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweig ...

, Andy Lee, George Groves,

Chris Eubank, Jr. Christopher Livingstone Eubank Jr (born 18 September 1989) is a British professional boxer. He has held multiple championships in two weight classes, including the WBA interim middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2021; the IBO super-m ...

", something he deemed "priceless". The decision was then made even easier, with Duffy explaining "I was fortunate enough to have sponsors to back me as well. That took care of the financial worries". When reflecting on the experience, he stated "More than anything, I’m a person who doesn’t want to have any regrets. When I’m old I want to be able to say that I gave it a go. That’s what it was. I got to fight professionally and I got to spar with some of the best fighters in the world".

Mixed martial arts career

Duffy started his career as a welterweight, fighting in various regional promotions across the UK. Duffy defeated the former UFC two-weight champion, Conor McGregor, and Northern Irishman

Norman Parke Norman Parke (born 22 December 1986) is a Northern Irish mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Parke has fought for the UFC, Absolute Championship Berkut, KSW, and BAMMA. He was also a competitor for Team UK on The U ...

, who later went on to the join the UFC. It was after this fight that Duffy signed with

, the biggest MMA promotion in Europe.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

In February 2010, Duffy was announced as a cast member of

The Ultimate Fighter 12 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlot ...

where he competed as a lightweight. In his first fight, Duffy lost to Kyle Watson via rear-naked choke in the first round, and was subsequently eliminated from the show.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship

Duffy made his name and rose to prominence while fighting under the CWFC banner. In his first bout with the promotion, Duffy submitted

, another Irish fighter who went on to UFC stardom. In 2011, Duffy earned a Cage Warriors title shot against Ivan Musardo. Duffy lost the fight, breaking his hand in the third round, and being subsequently submitted in the fourth. Following his recovery, Duffy switched his attention to pro boxing. He amassed a 7–0 record before returning to Cage Warriors in 2014. Duffy's first fight back was against Frenchman, Damien Lapilus. Duffy won via rear-naked choke, 2 minutes and 18 seconds into the third round. Three months later he defeated another Frenchman, Julien Boussuge. This time detecting his opponent's intention for a takedown, and connecting a clean knee to the head when Boussuge changed levels. It was an instant knockout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2015, the UFC announced they had signed Duffy. Duffy was expected to make his promotional debut against

Vagner Rocha Vagner Rocha (born June 6, 1982 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian-American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the lightweight division. He is the current Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds ...

on 14 March 2015 at

UFC 185 ''UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos'' was a mixed martial arts event held on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the third that the UFC has hosted in Dallas, Texas. The event was headlined by a ...

. However, Rocha pulled out of the bout in early February citing injury and was replaced by Jake Lindsey. Duffy won the fight via TKO in the first round after wobbling his opponent with a head kick and then dropping Lindsey with a body shot, forcing the stoppage. Duffy faced

Ivan Jorge Ivan Jorge (born November 7, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, he has competed for the UFC, Fight Nights Global, Jungle Fight and M-1 Global. He is th ...

on 18 July 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 18 July 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

. He won the fight via submission in the first round. He also earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Duffy was expected to face

Dustin Poirier Dustin Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As of May 9, 2022, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of October 24, 2022, he is #11 in the U ...

on 24 October 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 76 ''UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 76'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 24, 2015, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event was the third that the organization has hosted in Dublin, ...

. However, Duffy pulled out of the fight on 21 October citing a concussion he incurred during a sparring session. In turn, the pairing was rescheduled, and took place on 2 January 2016 at

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-unde ...

. Duffy lost the fight by unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27). Duffy next faced

Mitch Clarke Mitchell Bradley Clarke (born November 24, 1985) is a Canadian professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He fought as a Lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is the head coach at Complete Fitness & Martial Arts, St ...

on 7 July 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 90 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 90'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 7, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was the first of three events in as man ...

. He won the fight via submission in the opening minute of the first round. Duffy faced

Reza Madadi Reza Madadi (, (born June 20, 1978) is a retired Iranian-born Swedish mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist from 2006 to 2019, Madadi is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fightin ...

on 18 March 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 107 ''UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 107'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 18, 2017, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background This event wa ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On 13 July 2017, Duffy's manager Graham Boylan revealed Duffy had signed a new seven-fight contract with UFC. Duffy faced

James Vick James William Vick (born February 23, 1987) is a retired American mixed martial artist and boxer who formerly competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Vick was a cast member of '' The U ...

on 4 November 2017 at

UFC 217 ''UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 4, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Background The event was the second that the promot ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Duffy was expected to face

Ross Pearson Ross Pearson (born 26 September 1984) is a retired English mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A 26-fight veteran of the UFC, he was a three-time "Fight of the Night" winner and was the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 9. ...

on 2 December 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 142 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 142'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on 2 December 2018 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Sou ...

. However, Pearson announced on 7 November that he was out of the bout due to a broken nose and subsequent surgery to correct the injury. and he was replaced by newcomer

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

Lightweight Champion Damir Ismagulov. In turn Duffy pulled out from the event, citing a rib injury. Duffy faced

Marc Diakiese Marc Diakiese (born 16 March 1993) is a Congolese-born English professional mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has also competed for Caged Steel and BAMMA. Background Aged 17, Diakies ...

on 16 March 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 147 ''UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 147'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 16, 2019 at The O2 Arena in London, England. ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Duffy faced

Joel Álvarez Joel Álvarez González (born March 2, 1993) is a Spanish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Joel was born in Gijón, Spain and spent his childhood in the neighborhoo ...

on 19 July 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 172 ''UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 172'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 30'' and ''UFC Fight Island 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2020 ...

. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round one. After the fight, Duffy announced his retirement from MMA competition.

Championships and accomplishments

*Ultimate Fighting Championship **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) vs.

MMA Junkie MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Magazine'', ''The N ...

**Submission of the Month - July 2015 vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Jake Lindsey , TKO (head kick and body punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Julien Boussuge , KO (knee) , CWFC 74 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Damien Lapilus , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CWFC 70 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:18 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 , Ivan Musardo , Submission (guillotine choke) , Cage Warriors 44 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:25 ,

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the ope ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Francis Heagney , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 43 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Oriol Gaset , TKO (punches) , Cage Warriors 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:46 ,

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Tom Maguire , Submission (triangle choke) , Cage Warriors 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Cage Warriors 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Spartan Fight Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 , Newport, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Sebastien Grandin , Submission (triangle choke) , KnuckleUp MMA 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 , Newport, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Marius Buzinskas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Spartan Fight Challenge 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , James Bryan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KnuckleUp MMA 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ciaran Fry , Submission (triangle choke) , Angrrr Management 18: Holly Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mick Broster , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Angrrr Management 15: The Octagon Club , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it had ...

, England ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition and amateur record

, - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

Kyle Watson ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlot ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck , (air date) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Adam Stanton , Submission (triangle choke) , Angrrr Management 9: Southern Agrrression 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Weston Super Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tim Newman , Submission (triangle choke) , Grapple & Strike 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, Wales ,

Professional boxing record

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" , - ! !Result !Record !Opponent !Method !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes , - align=center , 7 , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Attila Tibor Nagy , , , , align=left, Camden Centre, Kings Cross, London, England , , - align=center , 6 , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Ionut Trandafir Ilie , , , , align=left, Bärengarten,

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an impo ...

, Baden-Württemberg, Germany , , - align=center , 5 , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Jay Morris , , , , align=left,

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inter ...

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

, London, England , , - align=center , 4 , Win , 4–0 , align=left, James Conroy , , , , align=left, Camden Centre, Kings Cross, London, England , , - align=center , 3 , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Gilson De Jesus , , , , align=left, Camden Centre, Kings Cross, London, England , , - align=center , 2 , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Paul Morby , , , , align=left, Coronet Theatre,

Elephant & Castle The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground stati ...

, London, England , , - align=center , 1 , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Angelo Crowe , , , , align=left, Oceana,

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...