Scotland’s Chris Duncan made his highly anticipated UFC debut and conquered some demons in the process at UFC 286 in the O2 Arena in London, England.
On March 18, in front of a loud and rowdy sold-out O2 Arena, Duncan successfully picked up his first UFC victory over Omar Morales via a questionable split decision. Duncan controlled the fight for most of the contest and attained 6:31 total control time. The reps at Florida’s highly-prestigious American Top Team were the difference maker. Duncan’s wrestling credentials were fully displayed and showcased a mature and calculated performance overall.
Many were left surprised at Duncan’s calculated approach after delivering one of the most viral knockouts Dana White’s Contender Series has ever witnessed to earn his place on the UFC roster. That being said, despite not entertaining a back-and-forth brawl with Morales, Duncan identified a clear path to victory early in the fight. He decided to take the more strategic route to pick up his first win under the company to ensure he could put food on the table for his family.
Although having the relief of no financial stress, Duncan was still disappointed not to stop Morales within the distance, but does highlight the victory in London was for his family more than anything:
Chris Duncan on UFC 286 Win Over Omar Morales
“I’m not happy with my performance in the sense that I didn’t finish him. I should have finished him. I really didn’t get out of first gear. This win was more for my family than anything else. I had to make sure I could provide for them, so I did play it safe, probably a little bit safer than I usually would. I’ve conquered a few demons in regard to how I think I can perform in there. I didn’t think I would be able to wrestle as well as I did. I absolutely outclassed him in the wrestling. ” Duncan told Combat Sports UK.
Duncan continued to address the one judge who scored the fight for Morales and pointed out the judge was, in fact, Mike Figlak’s coach. Before Morales stepped in, Duncan was originally scheduled to fight Figlak at UFC 286, and he’s just thankful the two other judges scored the fight in favour of the rightful winner.
“If I lost that fight, I’d be back at work already. It’s a tough old game. It’s a cut throat business. Guys like that should be blacklisted. I just put a post up saying he should be blacklisted because now I’ve brought it to light, there’s a lot of stuff coming through the grapevine. He’s ****** up a couple of people’s lives.”
For others, they may have folded under the pressure that Duncan had on his back leading into his debut. From coming off Dana White’s Contender Series in the small Apex with no fans to 20k fans and a film crew documenting his every move for a documentary on the UFC Youtube channel, but once placed in his natural habitat inside the Octagon, Duncan was laser focused.
Pressure Makes Diamonds
“It wasn’t pressure in a sense for me, but do you know the old saying, ‘I better win now with all these cameras here’. There was that, the sold-out O2 with 20k people, my girlfriend was there, my daughter was there, and there were all these outer extremities of the full fight itself, but all in when I stood in that cage, I was laser-beam focussed. I think that’s why I’m disappointed in my performance because in the fight, I could have improved positions a little bit more.”
The debut win moved Duncan to (10-1) in his professional career and made it three on the bounce since tasting defeat for the first time in 2021. Duncan has his eyes on the rumoured UFC London return in July and would like to throw down with Jordan Leavitt or Trey Ogden.
Watch the full exclusive interview with Chris Duncan:
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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
