With a mere four minutes and 52 seconds of UFC cage time Joseph Duffy has already made quite the impression. So much so that he’s been placed in a main event bout in just his third appearance with the organization.

Duffy (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets a home-country showcase when he meets Dustin Poirier (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a lightweight headliner on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin. The event takes place at 3Arena and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

UFC main events are often set up to spotlight breakthrough performances that spectators will remember. Duffy appears primed to do just that, because the 27-year-old has been nothing short of remarkable so far in his career.

Duffy has finished all but one of his opponents in MMA competition and holds 12 first-round stoppages to his credit, including both of his victories under the UFC banner.

Despite the impressive stoppage percentage, most of Duffy’s notoriety has come from just one victory: His November 2010 submission of current interim UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.

The majority of Duffy’s wins have come by submission – he finished McGregor with an arm-triangle choke in 38 seconds – but his striking pedigree is equally dangerous, and for good reason. Duffy has a noticeable three-year gap between bouts on his resume from 2011-2014, and he used that time to take a handful of professional boxing matches.

Duffy’s striking saw significant growth during his brief boxing career and he’s brought those tactics back to MMA. UFC President Dana White is thoroughly impressed by Duffy’s progression, and despite the constant discussion about a McGregor rematch, the UFC boss said he’s more focused on the strides both athletes have taken over the past five years.

“I don’t even point to Duffy beating Conor because they fought a long time ago when they were younger,” White told UFC.com. “I look at Duffy now. Duffy today is a well-rounded, explosive finisher – a guy whose stand up is literally perfect.”

Talk of a second McGregor bout generates headlines, but realistically the matchup is far from reality. McGregor is scheduled to meet Jose Aldo in a featherweight championship unification match at UFC 194 in December and has a number of other 145-pound contenders eager to share the octagon with him, as well.

McGregor has discussed a move up to the lightweight division in the future, which would be a meaningful step toward creating another fight with Duffy. Given the current situation, though, White said the closest Duffy and McGregor will come to each other would be if the UFC can host a long-discussed event at Ireland’s massive Croke Park – a fight card which would naturally feature both athletes.

“To do Croke Park, we’re going to need Conor and Duffy to do that one,” White said. “I think it’s incredible that these guys want to fight there. I think it’s incredible that the fans want it so bad, and I want it as bad as they want it, too.”

The discussions about a McGregor fight or Croke Park event are solid time-killers, but those possibilities are all drowned out by Duffy’s fight against Poirier.

Duffy must defeat “The Diamond” in order to open the door for grander opportunities. That’s not an easy task, though, because Poirier is a well-rounded competitor that can finish an opponent in a number of ways.

Poirier is more than capable of playing spoiler to Duffy’s first UFC main event and that’s one reason White finds Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 76 headliner to be such a meaningful affair.

“This is a really good test for Duffy because Dustin Poirier looks great at 155 (pounds),” White said. “He said he feels stronger, healthier, and he’s been on a tear at 155. It’s a big fight for both guys.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 76, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.