5 years later, Joseph Duffy confident as ever he'd beat Conor McGregor again

MONTREAL – Joseph Duffy said he would equal or best his 39-second submission victory over Conor McGregor if booked for a rematch with the interim UFC featherweight champion.

Nov. 27 marked the five-year anniversary of Duffy’s (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) 2010 victory over McGregor (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC), which took place at Cage Warriors 39. “Irish Joe” needed less than a minute to put the fight on the ground and lock in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke. It remains McGregor’s lone defeat of that past seven years.

Although Duffy has had eight MMA fights (and seven boxing matches) since he crossed paths with McGregor, he said he has fond memories of the fight. It wasn’t by any means a long bout, but Duffy said he remembers the performance as one that propelled him from average fighter to elite.

“I can still remember that fight quite clearly; it was my first fight back after the loss on ‘(The Ultimate Fighter 12),'” Duffy told MMAjunkie. “It was a big fight for me. It was a big fight to get back into the swing of things, and it was my first fight on a show of that scale also. I remember the fight clearly, and I felt that was the start of me moving on to the next level. After ‘TUF’ I felt like I broke a few barriers, a few hurdles, that was hindering my game, and that was the start of me breaking all that down.”

Joseph Duffy and Conor McGregor

Duffy and McGregor have both experienced a lot in the five years since they first met. Duffy took a nearly three-year hiatus from MMA to try pro boxing before returning to the sport in August 2014. He’s 4-0 since his comeback, including two first-round stoppage victories under the UFC banner.

McGregor’s turnaround since the loss and subsequent rise in the UFC has been one of the most notable stories of the past few years. “The Notorious'” popularity has blown up since his octagon debut, and he’s on the cusp of one of the biggest fights in UFC history. He’s scheduled to meet Jose Aldo (25-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a featherweight title-unification match at UFC 194 on Dec. 12.

Duffy is the first to compliment McGregor for his improvements over the past five years. Duffy’s skillset has flourished in that time as well, he said, and he simply believes he’ll always have more tools at his disposal compared to his fellow Irishman, he said.

“I spent a few years in pro boxing, so I’m very comfortable there; whereas before I wasn’t as confident in my standup game,” he said. “Now I feel I can stand against anybody. My ground game, my wrestling I always trusted anyway. That was never an area I doubted. So I suppose I kind of feel like I’m more dangerous everywhere and I’m the complete package.

“Conor’s grown. He’s grown in confidence, and obviously his stature has grown as well. I think he’s learned a lot over the years. His ground game has improved, his striking has improved, and he’s improved everywhere. He’s obviously a different fighter five years on.”

Despite the fact Duffy is currently competing at lightweight, where he’s scheduled to face Dustin Poirier (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) at UFC 195 on Jan. 2, and McGregor is at featherweight, it seems a rematch between the pair is a matter of when and not if.

McGregor has already begun to do his part to build anticipation for such an encounter. He had some harsh words for the “journeyman” Duffy at a media event earlier this year and announced that he would “KO him stiff” if ever locked in the octagon together.

Duffy isn’t quite as brash with his prediction of how a rematch with McGregor would play out. However, if it does come to fruition, he’d be just as confident.

“I would address the fight the same way I would any other: I would go in expecting the five rounds and I believe I can finish anyone,” Duffy said. “I’m always looking for them opportunities, and the fight with Conor would be no different. I would be in there, and I would be looking for that finish.

“There’s nobody I fight that I feel I can’t beat in any area. I’m one of them people – I feel I’m an opportunist. I don’t go in there planning to do one thing specifically. I just go in and let the fight unfold and react and take what opportunities are given to me.”

Check out the full interview above.

And for more on UFC 195, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.