UFC London in March last year was an amazing night for British MMA. From Mo Mokaev’s breathtaking debut in the opening fight to Paddy Pimblett taking over the O2 Arena for the very first time – it was the perfect stage for the UK’s prospects to become stars. Now, just one year later, there are three UK prospects that will make their debut when the UFC returns to London for UFC 286. Let’s take a look at each British fighter debuting on Saturday night.
Chris Duncan
From Glasgow, Scotland, Chris Duncan will make the walk to the UFC octagon for the first time on Saturday night – joining Paul Craig, Joanne Wood, Danny Henry, and Casey O’Neill as the promotion’s only current Scottish athletes. He faces Omar Morales in a lightweight bout on the prelims of UFC 286. This opportunity comes after picking up a contract on the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series when he secured a comeback victory over Charlie Campbell, knocking him out in the first round. However, this wasn’t his first attempt at winning a contract, he fought Viacheslav Borschev in the 2021 edition of the competition, but he came up short.
The 29-year-old possesses a record of 9-1 and has cited Mike Tyson and Justin Gaethje as two of his heroes – their influence on his style is prevalent through his knockout win percentage of 78%. ‘The Problem’ has held multiple titles on the UK regional scene and currently trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
Watch our exclusive interview with Chris Duncan below.
Sam Patterson
Sam Patterson makes is the second Brit making his debut on Saturday night, he goes up against Yanal Ashmoz, a fellow debutant. Similar to Duncan, Patterson also earned a contract via the Contender Series when he submitted Vinicius Cenci in the second round. Although unlike many British fighters, the 26-year-old didn’t solely come up through the professional regional scene – instead he largely took the route of fighting in the Middle East in Brave CF where he had five fights, winning them all before getting his contract-winning opportunity.
‘The Future’ holds a 10-1-1 professional record with a staggering nine finishes, including four knockouts and five submissions. Also fighting in the lightweight division, the Watford man stands at 6’3” tall with a massive 78” reach which is a rarity at 155 lbs – a frame that can only be compared to that of Jalin Turner or Joel Alvarez.
Christian Leroy Duncan
Not to be confused with the fighter previously mentioned, Christian Leroy Duncan enters the UFC fresh off of a seven-fight Cage Warriors career where he won their middleweight title, defending it once. As a result, he gets to make his UFC debut on Saturday when he faces Dusko Todorovic on the UFC Fight Pass prelims of UFC 286.
An exciting striker, the 27-year-old loves to throw spinning strikes, flying knees, axe kicks – you name it! His dynamism is clear to see when you go through each of the fights in his 7-0, undefeated, career. The middleweight division will be put on notice when the fighter from Gloucester steps into the UFC octagon for the first time.
Who’s debut are you looking forward to the most?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
