Christian Leroy Duncan is fully prepared to make the walk to the UFC Octagon for the first time, and he’s also ready to unveil his unique fighting style to the wider MMA-watching world.
Duncan will take on Dusko Todorovic at UFC 286 on Saturday, March 18 at The O2 Arena, London. It’s his UFC debut, and the former Cage Warriors middleweight champion freely admits that even he isn’t 100 percent sure what will happen on fight night.
“What can they expect to see? Yeah, great question! I don't even know how to answer that!” he told Fighters Only during media day ahead of UFC 286.
“Sometimes, I don't know myself what's gonna happen. I say (fans can expect me to be) very, very free-flowing, very lucid, unexpected. You're gonna see a lot of unorthodox fighting style. I just like to have fun in there. And then, as we go on in the fight, things change yeah, (and I) just have fun in there.”
Serbia’s Todorovic will provide Duncan’s first UFC test. The 28-year-old is a six-fight veteran of the Octagon, and heads into the matchup in good form, having finished Jordan Wright via second-round TKO in October 2022 in a Fight of the Night performance.
Todorovic has finished eight of his 12 career victories by knockout, and Duncan said he sees him as the sort of opponent whose approach could play into his own fighting style on fight night.
“Yeah, I believe so,” he said.
“He’s a he's a great fighter. At this level now he’s very experienced (too) – six fights in the UFC, 3-3 I believe his record is, but nonetheless, a big threat.
“He's been at this level, he’s experienced with top guys at this level, as well. So I’m expecting a well-prepared man and a great fighter. So I look forward to that the most, the greatest test.”
While Todorovic is a proven finisher of fights, Duncan also carries plenty of fight-ending weapons, with six of his seven career wins coming inside the distance, and five of those coming via knockout.
And while he wouldn’t go as far as to offer an out-and-out prediction for his UFC debut, the exciting Englishman said he’ll definitely play his part to put on a show for the fans on fight night.
“Outcome-wise, no (I’m not a predictions guy),” he said.
“But I can guarantee that it’s gonna be an explosive fight from start to finish, and definitely one to watch out for."
