UFC Newcomer Joseph Duffy OK with ‘Last Man to Defeat Conor McGregor’ Moniker for Now
Joseph Duffy made short work of Jake Lindsey. | Photo: Josh
Hedges/UFC/Zuffa/Getty
Heading into his Octagon debut, Joseph Duffy was probably best known for something he accomplished more than four years ago.
Following his first-round knockout of Jake Lindsey at UFC 185, perhaps “Irish Joe” will begin to receive more recognition for his current exploits. Then again, it might take a while for people to forget that Duffy handed rising star Conor McGregor his most recent defeat at a Cage Warriors Fighting Championship event in November 2010. After all, McGregor, the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender, is set to challenge reigning champion Jose Aldo at UFC 189 in July.
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For his part, Duffy understands the infatuation with his past.
“I think Conor [McGregor] is doing well,” Duffy said. “He’s the most popular fighter to ever come out of Ireland, so I think it’ll take time and a couple more performances like that to lose the moniker ‘The last man to defeat Conor McGregor‘ -- so I’m OK with that for now.”
The Donegal, Ireland, native looked more than ready for his initial UFC foray. A left high kick had Lindsey reeling early, and then Duffy changed levels with his attack, dropping his opponent with a perfectly-placed left hook to the body. Moments later, referee Herb Dean stepped in to halt the lightweight contest at the 1:47 mark of round one.
“Nothing really surprised me about Jake. The fight didn’t go long enough to see what he had; I knew he was a tough competitor though,” said Duffy, who in addition to his triumph over McGregor also owns a victory over current UFC talent Norman Parke. “I was working my hands a lot and noticed his head going back so I decided to switch it up with a kick -- after that I knew I had him. He was still dipping his head, so I went to the body and got him in his liver and that was the end of that.”
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