Joseph Duffy wins via KO in 1st Round at Cage Warriors 74

It was a mixed night for Irish MMA this Saturday as two fighting Ulstermen were in action across the Irish sea. Antrim’s Steve McCombe and Donegal’s Joseph Duffy flew the flag for Irish MMA as Cage Warriors 74 went down from the Copper Box Arena in London’s Olympic village.

Originally, three Irishmen were scheduled to be on the card but a cut to Phil Mulpeter in training forced him out of his fight with England’s Tom Breese just days before he travelled to London.

First up on Saturday night was Steve McCombe who took on fellow featherweight Nathaniel Wood. It was bright start from both men. McCombe came out in a tight upright stance throwing hooks from the pocket while Wood was light on his feet and attacked from all angles. Just beyond the opening minute the fight was stalled for the first time when McCombe took a push kick straight between the legs. From the restart the Northern Ireland man came out strong and had Wood on the back foot.

Not long after that, though, it was all over as Wood attacked with a high-kick which crashed against the guard of McCombe and horrifyingly snapped his forearm. It was a gut wrenching way to lose a fight for the veteran who will now be on the sidelines for quite a few months. That means a fight against SBG’s Artem Lobov, scheduled for the end of the month at UXC, has no chance of happening.

In the co-main event, Joseph Duffy was back in the cage for just his second bout following a 7-fight foray into the boxing world. His opponent for the night was talented Frenchman Julien Boussuge.

It was a quick start from Duffy who looked calm and relaxed. The Donegalman dodged an early attack before landing a big right hand which rocked the Frenchman backwards. Immediately, Boussuge had second thoughts about trading with the former pro boxer and dove for a takedown. As he lowered his head trying for a double leg, Duffy smashed Boussuge with a knee and sent him to the floor. There was no getting up as he lay prone on the canvas and the referee stepped in before Duffy could get off a finishing blow. With less than a minute of work Duffy could well be turned around quickly with a spot on Cage Warriors’ New Years Eve card seemingly a no-brainer.

You can watch the finish to the McCombe and Nathaniel Wood bout below: