CHRIS DUNCAN never expected to make it to the UFC when he began his professional mixed martial arts career five years ago.
But the Scottish lightweight finds himself flying high in MMA‘s top promotion following victory in his debut against Omar Morales last month.
GETTYScotland’s Chris Duncan made his UFC debut last month at UFC 286[/caption]
GETTYThe Tullibody tank outpointed the dangerous Omar Morales to pick up his first win inside the octagon[/caption]
GETTYThe feeling was like no other for the new lightweight contender[/caption]
The Tullibody tank made the perfect start to life in the UFC with a split-decision victory over the Venezuelan on UFC 286 prelims in London.
And having his hand raised inside the octagon on UK soil will live long in the memory of Duncan, who told SunSport: “It was a dream come true.
“I did ten weeks at American Top Team and everything came to fruition.
“All the gruelling hard sessions that I put myself through put me in the position to win that fight.”
Many would be satisfied with just getting the win in their debut, but not Duncan – who saw plenty of room for improvement for his next outing.
The 29-year-old said: “It was not the best performance that I’ve ever had, but the win was most important for my family financially.”
Self-scrutiny aside, Duncan admits picking up a win in the world’s premier fight league is a feeling that will take some beating.
‘The Problem’ said: “Other than the birth of my child, it’s been the best moment of my life.”
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The O2 could have been mistaken for Glasgow’s Hydro Arena during Duncan’s clash with Morales as chants of “Scotland, Scotland’ rang throughout the North Greenwich dome.
The immense support didn’t go unnoticed by Duncan, who said: “I was s***ing myself, mate. I’m not going to lie.
“I think I’ve got a lot of followers from down south. And I’m a big believer in sticking together.
“A lot of people, we’ll use Paddy the Baddy for example, a lot of people are calling him out because he’s got a bit of momentum.
And I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Why are wanting to fight guys on your doorstep? Let these guys gain a following and make the UK massive’
‘Why are you trying to pick on these guys?’ Don’t try to jump on his bandwagon just because he’s doing well.
“I don’t understand why all these people from the UK are trying to call him out.
“Let the guy do well and get on with his life. There’s plenty of other UFC fighters we can fight.”
GETTYDuncan wasn’t completely impressed by his performance and sees room for improvement[/caption]
GETTYDuncan is hoping to land a spot on the UFC’s return to London in July[/caption]
ALAMYThe Scot has his sights set on cracking the lightweight top-15 in the near future[/caption]
Duncan showcased a bulletproof mindset to recover from a career setback during his first stint on Dana White‘s Contenders series and earn his spot in the UFC with a viral knockout of Charlie Campbell.
But he didn’t always have the immense self-belief he currently exudes.
He said: “A lot of people say, ‘I’m gonna be world champion, I’m gonna be this and I’m gonna do that.’
“I feel that’s just words. You can think that in your mind and your words will put you in the position in the future.
“But I never thought I could be in the UFC. I always wanted to be, I always tried my best and I always had a positive mental attitude.”
Now that he’s up and running inside the octagon, Duncan is looking towards the future.
And his sights are firmly set on fighting on the UFC’s second London card of the year on July 22 – where he plans to give a better showcase of his abilities.
He said: “Too right, [I want to jump on that card]. I’d love to get back there and almost re-do it.
“Because I got two shots on the Contenders’ Series and you saw how I did the second time. Imagine if I get two shots at UFC London.
“It’s all going to be familiar again. The biggest part of my career has been inconsistency with guys pulling out and stuff like that.
“I’m looking forward to doing that again and getting that familiarity with the team, the show, the event. It would be great.”
Duncan is hoping to make himself a household name in double-quick time and start mixing it with the elite lightweights in the world sooner rather than later.
He said: “I’ve got my next goal. [Which is] the top-15 – we’ve got that to break into.”