From an overweight kid nicknamed ‘Podgy’ to the UFC; it’s been quite a journey for Chris Duncan.
And it is no wonder it feels slightly surreal to the 29-year-old that he’s now on the verge of fulfilling what has been a lifelong dream.
Recently, the MMA fighter secured a coveted UFC contract, and he did it in style.
Fighting against Charlie Campbell in the Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) in Las Vegas, Duncan knew a win would see him sign for the UFC.
But with the American heavy favourite, and well in control as the fight progressed, it appeared Duncan would have to return to Scotland empty-handed.
However, in one of the best comebacks ever seen in the DWSC, Duncan landed a crisp right hand to Campbell’s jaw and the fight was over, ensuring the Scot became the latest in a very select group to get his hands on a lucrative a UFC contract.
Even a few months on from his victory it is, he admits, still hard to believe he is a UFC fighter.
“It still doesn’t feel real. It’s a dream come true,” he says. “How many people are able to conquer their dream? So now, it’s onto the next one.”
This dream has been almost 20 years in the making.
Growing up in Stirlingshire, Duncan was far from the athlete he is today.
He was, he freely admits, overweight as a kid – earning that ‘Podgy’ nickname – and it wasn’t until a chance viewing on the television that he even knew the sport existed.
However, as soon as he watched MMA, he became hooked and that gave him the incentive to lose weight and get into some kind of shape.
“As a kid nicknamed Podgy, I had no idea I’d be at this point. To now be in this shape and be in the UFC, it’s crazy,” he says. “When I was about 10, I got a television in my room and I remember watching the WAC, which was what came before UFC. I was sitting there, a bit chubby, watching these guys on the telly and I remember thinking ‘wait, I can do something about this’.
“I got a bit of paper and blue-tacked it to the side of the TV and so every time I looked at it, it reminded me to do 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups and 50 squats. Over time, that 50 became easy so I went up to 100 and then 150 and the weight started to come off.
“I remember watching Donald Cerrone fighting thinking ‘what on earth is this?’ – it was barbarian stuff. And that’s always been in the back of my mind.”
Duncan’s life has been eventful, to say the least.
He had a stint working as a shepherd in the Scottish glens before his mum, who was his biggest supporter, passed away as he was in the final stages of preparing for his first amateur fight in 2014.
Added to that, his first professional defeat came last year, in his first attempt in the DWCS, but despite no fighter being happy with having a loss on their record, Duncan is certain that it was one of the best things that has happened to him.
“I was heartbroken about my loss last year but as anyone who’s been through adversity knows, it makes you stronger in the end,” he says.
“That loss is a part of my career now and it was a big learning experience for me.
“In some ways, it was one of the best things that happened to me and I’m glad that happened because now, going into UFC, I’m better for it. I’m a far more composed fighter now.”
Duncan’s UFC debut is imminent and having recently had laser eye surgery to rectify an ongoing issue that had been affecting his vision, he is confident he will make his mark in what is an incredibly competitive lightweight division.
With the UFC commanding worldwide coverage, his contract is massively lucrative financially but even more importantly, he wants to show his daughter, who was born last year, and every other UFC fan, what he can do on the biggest stage of them all.
“Financially, this is big. It’s like any normal job,” he says. “You get a basic wage which is your security blanket but then you’ve also got the knockout of the night and performance of the night bonus which is 50 grand, which is absolutely huge. It’s a big motivation.
“I want my wee girl to grow up knowing her dad is on the TV and really, I want to be her superhero.
“I’ve never been interested in money or superstardom, what means something is being some kid’s hero.
“I want to be one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC – I want to take on the role that the likes of Donald Cerrone had – there’s a lot of champions out there and championships are won and lost but what would really mean everything to me is being someone’s favourite fighter.
“The platform of the UFC is huge – you can’t get any higher in combat sports and so to be a part of it is just massive.”
