UFC Fight Night 76: Keys to Victory for Joseph Duffy

After two impressive first round victories to start his UFC career, Ireland’s own Joseph Duffy will now have the opportunity to headline an event in front of his countrymen at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, this coming Saturday night.

As the last fighter to defeat megastar and current interim UFC featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, expectations for Duffy are extremely high, and to date, he has delivered. But at UFC Fight Night 76 he will be facing one of the UFC lightweight division’s most dangerous fighters in Dustin Poirier.

Since his losing to McGregor at featherweight, Poirier has made the move back to the lightweight division and he has been on fire; winning back-to-back bout by way of first round knockout. Poirier may be young, but the 26-year-old has competed in the Octagon – WEC and UFC – a total of 15 times. Poirier represents a huge challenge for Duffy but Duffy has the tools to get the job done.

Stay Composed

Poirier is an aggressive fighter who likes to come out of the gates hot and heavy. That can throw a lot of fighters off and take them out of their game early. Duffy needs stay composed if Poirier presses early and hard. Poirier has the tools to put anyone in the division to sleep, so Duffy cannot afford to make an early mistake.

Establish the Jab

Even though Poirier is a gifted striker in his own right, Duffy’s technical ability is far superior. To take full advantage of that superiority, Duffy needs to establish his jab early. The jab – when used properly – can be a devastating technique that causes damage while at the same time creates openings.

Capitalize on Poirier’s Mistakes

Poirier is a sound fighter and has a wealth of experience, but he tends to get a little wild at times. That leaves him open to counter strikes. Duffy – with 13 of his 14 career wins by stoppage – knows how to take advantage of mistakes. Simply put, he needs to make Poirier pay every time he gets too wild.