Chris Duncan reflects on his journey from rugby prospect to UFC star

The Herald Scotland

5 days ago

Victory over Mateusz Rebecki inside the UFC Apex in the early hours of tomorrow morning will catapult him even further up the lightweight rankings, something the 32-year-old confidently predicts is going to happen.
It was rugby, though, rather than MMA that was Duncan's first love, the one-time shepherd turning out for Stirling County and Caledonian alongside future Scotland internationals Jamie Bhatti and Adam Ashe.
Duncan took some time out after his previous UFC victory over Jordan Vucenic in London in March to drop by the Glasgow Warriors squad, taking the chance to share stories of gruelling training sessions, discuss the demands of top-level sport and also catch up with old pal, Bhatti.
'It's always great to mingle with similar people,' he says. 'These athletes at Glasgow Warriors, and the boxers at the St Andrews Sporting Club where I also visited, are all on the same level as me. It's good to brush shoulders with the greats of Scottish sport.
'Glasgow Warriors really opened their doors for me with welcoming arms. They took me on the pitch and I got to play with the guys and talk to them. It was great to feel the support and the love from them. There were similar mindsets to myself. And it was good to catch up with Jamie, too.
'I always wanted to be good at sports and rugby was my thing. I just wasn't good enough. It was just as simple as that. So, I had to change a few things.
'Fighting definitely changed things for me because I felt I needed to learn the hard way almost. With fighting, there are bigger consequences than there are within rugby. There you can blame other people and hide within the team. Whereas with fighting, if you don't do the right thing, you're getting smacked in the face.'
Duncan will look to avoid that outcome tonight as he attempts to claim a third consecutive victory and improve his overall MMA record to 13-2 and 5-1 within the UFC. The bookies have him as slight underdog against the ever-dangerous Rebecki but there is no self-doubt inside the Scot who has shown for some time now that he belongs among the elite.
'The UFC is the biggest organisation in the world, in fighting sports anyway,' he adds. 'As soon as you put those three letters next to your name, you've got this almost stratosphere of popularity. I just take it step by step. And I never got into this for popularity anyway.
'I got into this because of the love of the sport and now I've been able to provide for my family through money, which is now going to be my end goal.
'I'm always about brick by brick and just putting my next foot on the ladder. Every opponent and every person I've fought has always got something that I need to deal with. That's why my nickname is The Problem because they don't know what's going to happen. I'm working on every asset of my game.
'People think I've got weaknesses here, weaknesses there. I'm counting on that when it comes to the fight and problem-solving within the fight. I don't think I've been the favourite in any of my recent fights. It doesn't make any difference to me.'
Being joint top of the bill is another sign of Duncan's soaring reputation but, again, it matters little to the man himself.
'To be honest, I didn't know I was going to be co-main event so it wouldn't have mattered regardless of if they told me at the start or at the end. It's happened to me before, when I was on the pro scene.
'I ended up being main event a couple of times without even realising. I fought for a belt as a pro and forgot I was even fighting for the belt. These things are all outside things.
'I don't really worry about them. I'm still going to fight. I would rather fight first than get home and get a pizza but sometimes you've got to put the showman at the top.'
Duncan shared a video recently on his social media of him talking on a video call to an admirer while he (the fan) was in the middle of getting a tattoo of Duncan's face on his leg.
'It feels a bit weird to be honest,' he says of the gesture. 'I've not met the guy but I've organised to meet him when I get home. I look forward to meeting him and shaking his hand.'
Duncan arrived in Vegas earlier this week from his training base in Florida but is steering clear of Sin City's many offerings until he has taken care of business.
'I'm keeping my head down for now. We've got some business to settle - I'm going out to pick a fight on Saturday night. But I'll enjoy the fruits of my labour afterwards.'
Chris Duncan takes on Mateusz Rębecki on UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park at 2am this Saturday, August 2nd, on TNT Sports 1.