Dustin Poirier talks UFC Dublin scratch: 'This isn't a Toughman competition'

DUBLIN – Dustin Poirier is still reeling from news that his UFC Fight Night 76 main event will no longer take place after scheduled opponent Joseph Duffy was forced off the card just three days before fight night.

Duffy (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) suffered a head injury during his final days of training for Saturday’s event and was deemed medically unfit to compete. That left Poirier (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) without an opponent, which he admits was not the news he expected when UFC officials told him matchmaker Joe Silva needed to have a phone conversation.

“I’m in my hotel room, getting ready to work out and I get a phone call; they say, ‘Hey, Joe Silva wants to talk to you, somebody has a cell phone with him on the line,'” Poirier told MMAjunkie. “I’m assuming they want to talk about Duffy’s weight or something, I didn’t know what it was. I was thinking he wouldn’t be able to make weight – something.

“They said he recently had a concussion and doctors weren’t clearing him to fight.”

The Poirier vs. Duffy matchup was announced on July 29 and “The Diamond” said he’s been training hard for the five-round lightweight matchup ever since. He was offered a replacement fight against “The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes” winner Norman Parke, who meets Reza Madadi on the UFC Fight Night 76 undercard.

Poirier said he gave some consideration to the last-minute switch, but after consulting his coaches and management team, a decision was made to not compete.

“It just really sucks – I’ve been preparing the past 10 weeks for this fight, and everything was going right on track,” Poirier said. “Duffy’s been in my crosshairs. They did offer me Norman Parke. They said, ‘Hey, Norman Parke will fight you.’ I was going back and forth … but they needed a decision right now, so I sat back with my coaches and talked to my coaches. They said if we can get the fight rescheduled, let’s just do that. We want the guy we’ve been preparing for.”

Following the UFC’s announcement that the fight was off, several fighters offered to replace Duffy on short notice, from Parke to Ross Pearson to interim UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.

Poirier said he was only approached about the fight with Parke, but ultimately it wouldn’t have matter because he decided it wouldn’t be in his best interest to face anyone with so little time to prepare for a new opponent.

“I didn’t know all (those fighters offered to step in), but I’ll fight all of those guys – no problem; but let’s set it on paper,” Poirier said. “This is a business. I’m a professional athlete. This isn’t, ‘poke somebody and start a street fight.’ I was contracted to fight a guy who I prepared for, and it didn’t happen. Now we’re not just going to scramble and pick a guy and fight.

“They said it was up to me, and I talked to my coaches and we made a business decision, really. This isn’t a Toughman competition; you don’t just fight everybody because they want to fight. When I step in there, I’m going to be prepared, and I’m going to fight my ass off and be willing to fight ’til the death. But I’ll be ready for the person I’m fighting.”

Although Poirier loses out on the chance to add another victory to his resume – and more importantly, a payday – he’s not disheartened by the variables surrounding the missed contest. He simply wanted the opportunity to showcase his skills and said he’s willing to wait for Duffy to recover so he can get the fight he trained for – ideally at UFC 195 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

“If I needed the money that bad, I would do it,” Poirier said. “But that means somebody else loses an opponent. A lot goes into this. … I’m done making foolish decisions and running into fights and fighting off emotions and this and that. I’m a professional, and I’m going to the top and I’m going to do it right.

“I talked to Dana (White) as well and he said we might be able to get this fight rescheduled, so I’m hoping for that, maybe in January in Vegas. Or whenever he’s healthy.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 76, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.