Joseph Duffy considering drastic step to support his MMA career

"We could get to 50 and we might not be able to walk. What's the price on your health?" - Joseph Duffy

Duffy is still contracted to the UFC, but that could soon change if he is unable to negotiate a better deal for himself. He also revealed he is considering construction work to supplement his fight career. The Irish fighter, who holds a 3-1 record in the promotion with three first-round finishes, has all but ruled out appearing at UFC Belfast and would me "more than willing" to test out free agency at a later date if his demands are not met. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Duffy said the amount he is after is quite a way from what he has been offered, but his contract has been extended by six months and he will have at least one more bout as a UFC fighter, most likely in 2017.

"I wouldn’t say I want to [go down the free agency route]," Duffy told Ariel Helwani. "I’m happy in the UFC and I feel I’m treated fairly and I’ve enjoyed working with them, [but] the offer they made me, there’s no way I would accept that. Even if I lost my last fight I wouldn’t accept that."

Duffy's purse for his last fight, a 25-second stoppage of Mitch Clarke on the main card of Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez in July, amounted to $40,000 including his $20,000-win bonus. And the Irishman has pointed out the disparity between fighters within the promotion, let alone the disparity between mixed martial artists and athletes in other sports. "I know a lot of people compare the different sports, and we’re getting paid nowhere near them guys, but another thing to tell you - I see some of the guys coming in who’s relatively experienced, fighting guys who’s not that experienced also, and getting paid far more," said 'Irish Joe'.

"I think Sage [Northcutt] made 40 and 40 [actually Northcutt made $50,000 and a $50,000 win bonus for defeating Enrique Marin - ed.] and I’m sure TJ [Dillashaw] only made 25 and 25 in his last fight and he's a former champion, so I think if you don’t make a stand you’re never going to get paid what you’re worth."

One of only two men to win an MMA bout against Conor McGregor, Duffy is well aware of the fragility of an MMA fighter's career and seems keen to ensure he is as comfortable as possible if things do happen to go awry.

"I don’t feel I’m a greedy person but I know to secure my future, and I’m putting my body on the line and my health on the line," he added. "One shot and it could all be over so I need to get to the point where I can start moving forward and my future isn’t a worry."

Duffy's financial future is so uncertain, in fact, that he is considering taking up a full-time job to help pay the bills. He said:

"My dad is involved in construction, tunnelling and that sort of stuff. So it is something I actually thought about, getting sorted in something here in Montreal... "I feel, with construction, maybe if I got something set up and wouldn't have to worry about the financial side of it, so then it wouldn't be such a stress on the contract side of things and I could do it for the fun."

Joe Duffy, construction worker and UFC fighter? That proposed fighters' union can't come quick enough. Catch up on the first episode of Football Friday Live...