Fight Analysis: A study of Conor McGregor’s last defeat – McGregor vs Joe Duffy
Conor McGregor has only lost twice in his career. His last, and most famous defeat was against current UFC Lightweight prospect and fellow Irishman Joseph Duffy.
Today, we look back at that fight. It was a different time and a different McGregor and the fight against Duffy perhaps illustrates his evolution as a martial artist.
McGregor faced Duffy on November 27, 2010, in Cork, Ireland at Cage Warriors 39. Coming in with a 4-1 record, McGregor was seen as a potential rising star. Joe Duffy, on the other hand, was 6-0 and held a win over future UFC Lightweight Norman Parke.
Duffy was regarded as the future of Irish MMA at the time, a far bigger star than the relatively unheralded McGregor. Coming into the fight, Duffy was not only the favourite but also the better-rounded and complete fighter.
McGregor possessed great boxing abilities even back then. His best bet to beating Duffy was to keep the fight standing. Duffy was no slouch on the feet either. He had a background in Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, adept at both standing and on the mat.
Coming into the fight, Duffy had a point to prove. He had unsuccessfully tried out for the Ultimate Fighter reality show and wanted to validate his ranking as a top 10 European prospect by Sherdog. The tension was building for this fight as the two fighters engaged in an intense stare-down the day before.
From the outset of the fight, a few of McGregor’s current traits are visible. His long stance was already there as were his fast hands. McGregor caught Duffy with a few punches right at the outset.
McGregor connected with a right uppercut and left hook to knock Duffy down. Duffy however, grabbed onto McGregor’s leg on his way down. This is where McGregor’s weaknesses became all too evident.
Duffy easily transitioned into side control causing McGregor to panic and surrender his back. Duffy mounted him and locked in a head and arm triangle forcing McGregor to submit after just 38 seconds.
McGregor was still learning his craft and if he were to fight Duffy today, the fight would mostly likely go longer than 38 seconds. The loss to Duffy was a turning point in McGregor’s career. He knuckled down, trained harder and got a lot better.
He may not be the best on the ground, but he has improved significantly, as evident from his fight against Max Holloway. Should McGregor beat Jose Aldo and make the move up to the Lightweight division, he could be on a collision course with Joseph Duffy again.
Watch the full fight here;
Watch what Conor has to say about Duffy here :-
The Aftermath
After beating McGregor, Duffy continued rising the ranks at Cage Warriors. He eventually earned a title shot against Ivan Musardo. Duffy lost the fight, breaking his hand in the third round before being submitted in the fourth.
After a long layoff due to injury, Duffy switched his attention from MMA to professional boxing. He amassed an impressive 7-0 record before returning to Cage Warriors in 2014 to pursue his MMA dreams.
Duffy fought Damien Lapilus on his return, winning via submission in the third round. He would have one more fight under the cage warrior’s banner before the UFC signed him in 2015.
Duffy made his UFC debut against Jake Lindsey at UFC 185, winning via first round TKO. His second UFC bout came against Ivan Jorge at UFC Fight night 72. A first round submission victory earned him a Performance of the night bonus.
Duffy will next face Dustin Poirier at UFC 195 on January 2nd. The two were originally meant to fight at UFC Fight Night 76, however, Duffy withdrew due to a concussion sustained during training.
Duffy trains at Tristar Gym under Firas Zahabi these days as he continues his rise up the ranks of the UFC. He isn’t in the Lightweight title picture yet, but he is getting there. His technique is improving and working with someone like Zahabi will only make him a better all-round fighter.
However, it’s the McGregor rematch that fans desperately want to see.
Since losing to Duffy 5 years ago, McGregor has been on a tear. Undefeated since, McGregor will face the greatest featherweight in history, Jose Aldo for the UFC title in the biggest fight of his career in just under 2 weeks.
Should he win and successfully defend, a move up to lightweight will be on the cards for him.
The prospect of McGregor and Duffy facing off again is a mouth-watering thought. Not only will it have a huge promotional push, it could be held at Croke Park, an 80,000 seater football stadium in Dublin, making it potentially, the biggest event in UFC history.
Not bad for two kids who just 5 years ago were bright prospects on a minuscule Irish MMA circuit.