Score one for the UFC. After a number of high-profile defectors jumped ship to Bellator over the past year, the promotion has reached an agreement with Ireland’s Joe Duffy. According to a report by MMA Fighting, the Irish lightweight has inked a new seven-figure deal with the WME-IMG owned promotion.
Duffy’s status had been up in the air for some time, and the man who was originally billed as “The Last Man to Beat Conor McGregor” (at least until Nate Diaz came along) has only fought once in the past year. Duffy (17–2) scored that win against Reza Madadi in March of this year. Prior to that he’d been out of action since July.
The Madadi fight represented the final bout on Duffy’s prior contract, and he had no problem testing free agency. A prior offer by the UFC, aimed at keeping Duffy off the free agent market, was rejected by the fighter. It seemed like Duffy might be the next soldier to defect.
Instead, he signs a seven fight deal that will keep him under the UFC banner for the immediate future. That’s good news for the promotion, which has seen competitors nipping at its heels throughout the past year.
Plans for Duffy’s return to the octagon have yet to be announced.
