It was one of the big talking points going in to UFC 195. Joseph Duffy vs Dustin Poirier was supposed to headline UFC Dublin back in October, when it was rescheduled for January 2nd, fans had anticipated seeing it near the top of the card. However, when it was placed on the Fight Pass prelims, there was an understandable amount of head-scratching going on.
Why 'demote' a much anticipated fight on a card that although exciting wasn't exactly stacked in comparison to some events? The answer was fairly obvious, it's all about the cash. Dana White and co. are really pushing the Fight Pass subscription service and the interest from this side of the Atlantic, coupled with the earlier screening time, meant that Duffy vs Poirier was the perfect fight to push the service to new subscribers.
And it has certainly worked.
The fight may not have gone the way we wanted it to but as far as the UFC are concerned, it did exactly what it needed to, as it set a new record for Fight Pass viewers according to Dana White. While Duffy's climb up the UFC ladder took a significant blow on Saturday night, the numbers who signed up to tune in to the fight would indicate that he's certainly a draw for the promotion.
See also: Early UFC 194 Viewing Figures Show Just How Much Of An Effect Conor McGregor Has Had
(You can hear Poirier and White on the Fight Pass numbers from 13 minutes)
With Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping headlining the Fight Pass only UFC London card on February 27th, it's fair to say that Duffy and Poirier won't be holding on to the record for too long.
