Donegal's Joseph Duffy in MMA action in Madison Square Garden this Saturday

Burtonport's Joseph Duffy has a big date this Saturday when he takes on James Vick in Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 29-year-old is hoping to turn around his career and get in contention in the lightweight division.

Duffy's big claim to fame so far is defeating world champion, Conor McGregor in 2010. He signed for the UFC in 2015 and has won all but one of his five fights under the umbrella of MMA’s leading organisation. His hopes of becoming a title contender suffered a significant setback in January 2016 when he lost to Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision.

However, he bounced back with convincing victories over Mitch Clarke and Reza Madadi, and having recently signed a new seven-fight deal with the UFC, Hardy believes the well-rounded Irishman (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is capable of entering the upper echelons of the 155-pound division.

Now based in Montreal, Saturday night's fight is seen as very important for Duffy. If he can win there is every chance that he could be offered a title shot. Maybe even down the road there could be a rematch with McGregor.