The five-round lightweight main event for this weekend's UFC Fight Night 76 is officially off.
The UFC issued a release on Wednesday afternoon stating that Joe Duffy had to be removed from the card due to a mild concussion suffered earlier in the week. The co-main event between Louis Smolka and Paddy Holohan will now be promoted to the main event slot while remaining a three-round affair.
Dustin Poirier, the would-be Duffy opponent this weekend, will be rescheduled for another event per the UFC release.
This was the second big blow to the Dublin event. Earlier in the month Stipe Miocic was forced off the card with an injury, and Ben Rothwell was removed from the card as a suitable replacement could not be found. The loss of the lightweight main event was a significant blow to the quality of the event.
The positive news is the policy and procedures of the UFC's medical team were effective, and they would not allow Duffy to fight after sustaining the concussion. The UFC should be heralded for this decision even though it weakens the fight card for fans this weekend. The health and safety of athletes should be paramount.
The Duffy vs. Poirier contest was sure to be exciting and would have sent the winner into the mix of contenders at 155 pounds. Now they will have to wait for their next shot at glory. An unfortunate bit of news mid-week for the fans and the fighters.
UFC Fight Night 76 will now be a 10-fight event on UFC Fight Pass. It begins at 1 p.m. ET, and Bleacher Report will have full coverage when the action gets underway.
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