Joe Duffy suffers first loss in the UFC as he comes unstuck against the resurgent Dustin Poirier

The Joe Duffy v Conor McGregor rematch dream has hit a stumbling block.

The first UFC loss for either Irishman came in Las Vegas on Saturday night when Duffy was handily beaten over three rounds against Dustin Poirier. Duffy, a favourite according to the Vegas odds, was stunned early on when a Poirier combination earned the respect of the former professional boxer. The first round was the closest but a takedown towards the end likely earned it for 'The Diamond' as Duffy struggled off his back. The second was much more decisive and Poirier earned a 10-8 on the scorecards of one judge as he dominated the Donegal lightweight for the duration and, despite bleeding profusely from his nose, Poirier didn't allow Duffy a second to breathe as he punished with crushing ground and pound which all but shut Duffy's left eye. Knowing what had worked, the American took Duffy down once more in the third and caught his breath but was swept towards the end as Duffy looked for a knee-bar. The referee brought the fighters to their feet for a lack of activity when Poirier was stuck in Duffy's guard and the fight looked close to a finish when Duffy threw up a tight triangle but there wasn't enough time left in the round for the Irishman to get the finish. In the end, Duffy was beaten pretty decisively and it's back to the drawing board for the Tristar fighter.