Prior to his four-year undefeated run and overnight success in the UFC, Conor McGregor’s last taste of defeat was against fellow Irish fighter Joseph Duffy. The fight took place in 2010, when Duffy defeated “The Notorious” in just 38 seconds of action via arm-triangle submission.
Duffy was signed into the UFC in 2015, and has so far compiled a 4-2 record. He foresees a rematch against McGregor down the line, which he expects to be massive enough to sell out Croke Park, Dublin’s 80,000-seater stadium.
“There’s always going to be people throwing my name out there [because of our first fight]. For me, it’s just that far in the past,” Duffy said recently on the Eurobash podcast (transcript via BJPenn.com). “The option is always open.”
“If that happened, I would love it. Croke Park, it’s a dream for anyone; it’s like a Dublin vs. Donegal match for me. It would be a huge fight and I’m pretty sure we would sell out Croke Park no bother, but it’s not something I’m pursuing. I just want to do this my way and I suppose I’ve got to take one fight at a time.
McGregor is currently on a six-month retroactive suspension for his involvement in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl. His team is looking towards a possible fight against Donald Cerrone upon his return.
Duffy, on the other hand, last fought at UFC 217 in November, where lost to James Vick via second-round TKO. He is scheduled to return to action against Marc Diakiese at UFC London in March.