The UFC have suffered another major blow ahead of Saturday's event in the 3Arena with the news that the main event between Joe Duffy and Dustin Poirier has been called off.
Duffy was not cleared to fight, after suffering a mild concussion last Saturday. The fight with Poirier was set to be Duffy's third with the UFC as he headlined a show for the first time.
Last night the UFC released a statement, outlining why the fight was cancelled:
"Due to a medical issue involving UFC lightweight Joe Duffy, the new main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT in Ireland on Saturday will be a three-round bout featuring hometown hero Paddy Holohan vs. Louis Smolka."
"Having learned that Duffy received a strike to the head during training earlier this week, UFC sent him for medical tests in Ireland for precautionary purposes. The results determined that Duffy suffered a mild concussion and due to the proximity of the fight this Saturday UFC will not permit him to compete. The health and safety of UFC athletes will continue to be the top priority for the organization. As such, UFC has respected standard athletic commission regulations, which recommend a medical suspension from competition as a result of the concussion."
The UFC have confirmed that refunds will be available from Ticketmaster outlets for those now not wishing to go.
The fight cancellation is the second big blow to the card in the past fortnight. The original co-main event between heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Stipe Miocic was cancelled with Miocic pulled out injured.
Rothwell took to social media last nght, to offer his last minute services to the UFC in light of the second cancellation.
Here @ufc let me help!! New poster for this week pic.twitter.com/xPgBemdVXG
— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) October 21, 2015
Dublin's Paddy Holahan will now fight in the main event against Louis Smolka.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
