Coach reveals that Duffy suffered concussion on last day of sparring

Yesterday, it was announced that Irish lightweight prospect Joseph Duffy was forced to withdraw from the main event of UFC Dublin.

"Irish Joe" was set to collide with Dustin Poirier in a bout that promised to gauge his standing in the lightweight division, but the 27-year-old had suffered a concussion in training. Duffy had been preparing for the fight at the world renowned Tristar gym under the tutelage of Firas Zahabi.

The head coach revealed the details of the injury to MMA Fighting via text message on Wednseday.

"He suffered a concussion on the last day of sparring," Zahabi confirmed. "Concussions are a serious thing, and I trust the doctor made the best call for Joe's health. A week is not long for a concussion to heal."

Zahabi always prepares his fighters with sparring a week before fight night. The long-time coach, who has honed and developed champions such as Georges St-Pierre, will still be making the trip to Ireland to corner Tom Breese and Steven Ray.

In Duffy's absence, Paddy Holohan vs. Louis Smolka has been bumped up to the main event.