News
Chris Duncan: From Adversity to contender
Scottish athlete Chris “The Problem” Duncan only started training in MMA 7 years ago at the age of 21 in Strathyre, Scotland, at MXP Fitness, after his mother would sneak him into boxing classes when he was younger against the wishes of his grandparents. However, his mum spotted early on that her son had a talent for fighting and went all the way out to support him.
Fast forward seven years, the now 28-year-old athlete always knew that his first-ever job would have instilled a good work ethic within himself.
Working as a Shepard in Glen Lochay, Killin, back in 2013, Duncan’s week would revolve around working almost non-stop for six days, getting drunk on a Saturday night, feeling rough on a Sunday and then beginning the cycle again. Finally, feeling he was going down a slippery slope, Duncan decided to get fully involved with MMA to his mother’s joy, who was his biggest fan and cheerleader.
Speaking with BBC Scotland sport Duncan said “When I didn’t have MMA, I needed to find something as I tended to find myself in bad situations, I would be fighting, drinking, doing stupid stuff and putting myself in stupid situations.”
Duncan’s first amateur fight was booked for April 20th 2014, for promotion, Scottish Fight Challenge; however, Duncan was told that his mother Elaine had been murdered on the day of the weigh-in.
Duncan had just heard the most soul-destroying words come out of someone’s mouth, let alone try to comprehend what they meant to him. But, instead of reacting with grief and fear, Duncan knew he had to carry on with the MMA event for the memory of his mum.
Stating that he had an epiphany of his mother’s death and how friends and relatives would say his mother would want him to keep going, he decided there and then to pursue MMA full time.
With fire in his soul, Duncan went out and won his fight in 56 seconds of round 1 via ground & pound.
From this point on, something changed inside Duncan. “The Problem” had arrived.
Building up an amateur career of 8-1, Duncan chose to go into the paid ranks in 2018.
“Since I started MMA, I have never been in trouble with the police, not even got a speeding fine.” Duncan stated to BBC Scotland Sport
“This isn’t just for money; this keeps me driven.”
This drive has taken Duncan into becoming one of Scotland’s top MMA athletes.
Going 3-0 on Scotland’s local circuit, Duncan got the chance to showcase his skills on a much bigger platform. Bellator 217 Dublin. Facing Irish prospect Sam Slater, Duncan got to work early and got the finish in 3 minutes, coming by way of TKO/KO.
In 2020, with amassing a record of 4-0 and all those wins coming by way of finishes, it was only time that Duncan was sought after by promotion Bellator and officially signed a contract with them.
After going 2-0 with Bellator and taking his overall record to 6-0, Duncan and Bellator partied ways amicably due to being unable to secure any fights; after all, we lived in the harshest conditions, COVID-19 hit the world hard.
Although we were living in a new restrictive world, that didn’t bother Duncan as coming from a tough background, having grit, determination and going through the most challenging thing a person could ever go through, Duncan’s hard work shone through. He got a call to go to Las Vegas and try out for Dana White’s Contender Series.
Originally scheduled to compete on September 28th, that bout was cancelled, and Duncan was left waiting for a new opponent. Having had two false starts on DWCS and making weight twice already in that same week, Duncan finally had an opponent and again made weight for the third time in a week and faced Viacheslav Borshchev on October 12th.
The 7-0 prospect Chris Duncan was highly favoured against the 4-1, Team Alpha Male, Borshchev; however, despite a very competitive first round with both athletes having their fair share of the action, at 28 seconds of round two, Borshchev landed a clean left hook which laid Duncan flat out, and in turn handing Duncan not only his first professional loss but losing out on a lucrative contract with the UFC.
Not one to dwell on the past, the resilient and driven Chris Duncan made his way back home to Scotland to his girlfriend Laura and baby daughter Summer.
Not having to wait long before a new contract was offered to him with European promotion Cage Warriors on November 10th, Duncan didn’t hesitate to sign the contract.
Everything happens for a reason. It’s a time-old saying with the cards that “The Problem” has been dealt in his young life thus far, knowing that his mum is always with him on fight week, by way of carrying a pendant on a chain with her fingerprint and her wedding ring.
Chris Duncan is looking forward to cementing his name firmly at the top of the Cage Warriors lightweight division.
Look out for Chris Duncan’s promotional debut in early 2022.
After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash.
The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September.
The event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans.
Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action.
The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.
“Hitman” will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January.
Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.
After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison.
And with “Hitman” keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
The whirlwind surrounding Ryan Garcia’s victory over Devin Haney last weekend is just beginning to settle down but it seems the controversial boxer is intent on staying in the headlines as he eyes UFC champion, Sean O’Malley.
The bizarre lead up to the fight with Haney was plagued with erratic behaviour on Garcia’s part, rumours of a mental breakdown, signs of alcohol and drug issues, and generally controversial behaviour. Garcia missed weight by 3.2lbs, and appeared to chug a beer on the scales during the weigh ins.
Entering the fight as an underdog, Garcia surprised everybody by dropping Haney three times and emerging victorious by majority decision. After the fight, Garcia insisted he drank and smoked every day in the build up to the fight and still picked up the win. This shocking turn of events has now opened up a variety of possible lucrative match ups for Garcia going forward, and it seems one MMA superstar wants a piece of that action.
The UFC hasn’t sanctioned a boxing crossover bout since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley has long campaigned for the opportunity to test his striking skills against Garcia, and this week on his podcast The Timbo Sugar Show, he insisted that the UFC have already given him the green light to seek out some opportunities in the boxing ring:
“A boxing fight’s possible for sure. I’m not there yet. I’ve still got to become bigger. Two more f*cking sick performances, then we’re talking about being able to do it.
O’Malley continued: “They told me ‘You can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough money’. The option is there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f*cking freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f*cking Floyd v Conor fight”.
Ryan Garcia tweeted an image of himself and O’Malley this week with the caption: “RAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW”
RAINBOW CACA BRAIN
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 22, 2024
WANTS TO BOX
BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW pic.twitter.com/GGrvV7ZSCH
Sean O’Malley became the UFC’s bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. He then defended the belt and avenged the only loss on his record when he dominated Marlon Vera over five rounds at UFC 299 in March.
The next step in the fascinating UFC journey of Alex Pereira remains to be seen. ‘Poatan’ pulled off a sensational knockout finish over Jamahal Hill in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 300 to defend his light heavyweight belt.
In his post-fight interview, the Brazilian called for the opportunity to compete at heavyweight at UFC 301 which takes place in Rio De Janeiro in just a couple of weeks. UFC president Dana White seemed unenthusiastic about that idea, however, and it seems now that the dust has settled after 300, Pereira is a little more willing to take his time before signing up for his next fight.
In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Pereira was asked if he’d rather defend his 205lb title again or test the waters in the heavyweight division. He responded:
“It’s hard to answer that. I haven’t thought too much about it yet. If it’s a longer period of time, I’d obviously rather defend my belt. If it takes too long and I fight at heavyweight and there are injuries, when am I going to defend my belt? I don’t want to hold up the division.
I was imagining the best-case scenario when I called for a heavyweight fight at UFC 301, but I have two broken toes. Both feet are f*cked. It’s complicated. I don’t want to hold up the light heavyweight division. A cool scenario would have been fighting at heavyweight at 301 and then giving the opportunity to someone to fight for the light heavyweight belt next. I think that would have been cool”.
205lb contender Magomed Ankalaev has called for a fight with Pereira on the UFC’s October pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi, but ‘Poatan’ brushed that idea off instantly, saying:
“I don’t want to fight at the end of the year. I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that. This guy is complicated”.
If Pereira manages to get another win under his belt and is ready to go again before the end of the year, he said he would much rather compete on the Madison Square Garden event in November, which is closer to his current home in Danbury.
“It makes total sense” he said. “Wait one more month and I’m fighting at home? It’s so much better”.
-
News3 years agoKing of Lethwei Dave Leduc BANNED from Myanmar and competing in the sport
-
News3 years agoSam Kapoi, half-brother of Max Holloway, sentenced for meth possession
-
News3 years agoNathias Frederick vs Matthew Bonner revealed for Cage Warriors 123
-
News3 years agoUAE Warriors 19 & 20 fight cards
-
News3 years agoPaige VanZant is seeking a KO victory over Rachael Ostovich
-
News3 years agoThe Latinas of Combate Global set for world domination
-
News2 years agoFans disgusted at inter-gender MMA fight in Poland
-
Interviews2 years ago
VMTV Vaults | EP.38 – Deniz Ilbay