Duncan ready to make his UFC debut
Stirling scrapper Chris Duncan is set to fulfil a lifetime dream when he steps foot into the octagon for the first time as a UFC fighter.
The lightweight will be hoping to announce his arrival in emphatic fashion when he takes on Venezuela’s Omar Morales as part of the spectacular UFC 286 show taking place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
Duncan, who lives in Tullibody, will become Stirling’s first ever UFC fighter when he steps into the cage.
Duncan, originally from Strathyre, was left in limbo when his scheduled opponent was forced to withdraw from the bout just days after it was announced.
He was due to fight Michal Figlak but the Pole’s injury left the 29-year-old sweating over his next opponent.
Heavy-handed Duncan spent much of his training camp at the famed American Top Team gym in Florida where he sparred with some of the top fighters in the world in preparation for his UFC debut.
Duncan announced his UFC arrival in an explosive manner last summer. He jetted to Las Vegas where he fought on the Dana White Contender Series – a series in which hopeful fighters compete to try impress UFC boss White – where he faced American fighter Charlie Campbell. Duncan, nicknamed ‘The Problem’, weathered an early storm, sustaining a number of hard punches and appearing to be badly hurt in the opening minutes of the first round.
However, refusing to accept defeat, Duncan mounted a spirited comeback that saw him knock Campbell unconscious with pinpoint accurate strikes.
The spectacular victory was enough to persuade UFC president, Dana White, to hand the Scot the coveted UFC contract.
We previously told how the former Mclaren High School pupil gave up his job as a shepherd in Glen Lochay, near Killin, to take up the combat sport full-time.