JOSEPH DUFFY will take an extended break from UFC action following his defeat to Dustin Poirier on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Burtonport man lost on points to Poirier, but is confident that it won’t be a major set-back in his hopes to conquer the lightweight division.
“Regardless of the result, I was going to do the same thing: I was going to take six months off, work on my game and enjoy my training because I’ve spent the full year in camp and I’m only back in MMA just over a year and a half now,” Duffy said.
“This fight showed a few chinks that I’ve got to fix, so if anything, it is a life-saver. Instead of papering over the cracks, we’re going to fix the problem.”
Poirier took Duffy down multiple times during their bout and both fighters were given medical suspension by the Nevada State Commission this week.
Duffy is highly-rated within the UFC’s upper echelons.
Although Saturday’s defeat certainly delays any possible rematch with Conor McGregor, who could step up from featherweight to lightweigh, Duffy doesn’t believe that the loss will prove fatal to his own title hopes.
He said: “Conor’s journey is a straight line so far, and mine is a different route on a bit of a curve. It’s a speed bump for now, but it doesn’t change my goal of getting that belt.
“I think people miss what you’re doing technically in the octagon. I’m known for being the last guy to beat Conor, but then obviously they miss what I’m doing fighting.
“You don’t want to be known for the wrong reasons. All I’ve ever wanted to be known as is a good, technical fighter.”
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