The Best and Worst from UFC Fight Night 107

#2 Worst: Why are the UFC letting Joe Duffy go?

So last night’s win over Reza Madadi wasn’t Joe Duffy’s most impressive, but he did show improved takedown defence and for the most part he was able to carve the Iranian-Swedish fighter up with his striking.

The win puts him at 4-1 in his UFC career but it’s likely the fight will be his last inside the Octagon. Why?

Apparently, WME-IMG don’t agree with Duffy on how much he’s worth exactly. So they’re willing to let him walk to a rival promoter like Bellator, just as they’ve let Lorenz Larkin, Rory MacDonald and Ryan Bader walk too.

It doesn’t make sense to me. I get that they’re looking to recoup the massive $4 billion that they paid for the company, but the UFC made its name by putting the best fighters against the best fighters, not letting half of them walk away to competitors.

Duffy is marketable, well-spoken, puts on exciting fights, oh, and he has a pre-UFC win over Conor McGregor. He seems exactly like the sort of fighter any half-decent promoter would give their eye teeth to have on their roster and yet UFC’s current owners don’t seem to care.

Unless Duffy is making crazy demands – like making millions per fight or demanding a cut of PPV profits for instance – I don’t see why the UFC can’t open the purse strings and just pay him what he wants. After all, if Scott Coker and Bellator can afford him, then surely the juggernaut that the UFC is can?

He’s too good to be allowed to simply walk away.