Athletes
Chris Duncan | Line Them Up, And I’ll Knock Them Down
Scottish Lightweight Plans To Gatecrash The Top 15, And Sees Victory At UFC 323 As The Perfect Launchpad For A Big Year In 2026
It wasn’t all that long ago that Chris Duncan was a hard-hitting Scottish prospect looking to win his way into the UFC. Now, he’s preparing to make the walk for his seventh UFC fight, and he does so full of confidence after making an impressive start to life in the Octagon.
Duncan’s demeanor is one of a fighter who feels very much at home on the sport’s biggest stage, and he’s embracing every moment as he enjoys the build-up to his second appearance on a UFC pay-per-view event at UFC 323.
“Yeah, I just said to the guys when I walked in, this is like showing up to work,” Duncan grinned as he visited with UFC.com during fight week in Las Vegas.
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“Las Vegas is the home of fighting, home of gambling. I'm looking forward to it. It’s another fight week, and the energy when you walk in the room, you’re signing posters – me, Grant (Dawson), Marvin Vettori, we’re all signing posters together. The energy is high. I’m actually getting goosebumps thinking about it right now.”
Duncan’s relaxed nature and excited mindset should come as no surprise. “The Problem” has been living up to his fighting moniker of late. He handed submission defeats to Bolaji Oki and Jordan Vucenic, then outworked hard-hitting Mateusz Rebecki over three wild rounds at the UFC APEX in August.
It means Duncan heads into this weekend’s assignment riding a three-fight win streak. And with Duncan looking better with every fight, and his teammates from American Top Team flying high, the 32-year-old from Alloa, Scotland, is soaking up all the positivity he can find.
“Energy is a big thing,” he explained.
“Life in general right now, there's a lot of mental health going around, and stuff like that. So it's the way your internal voice speaks to you – it’s the most important.
The morale of your teammates and all these sorts of things is a big thing for me. And the energy – I'm a big guy on energy – I'm looking forward to Saturday, where there's gonna be big energy, a big crowd, T-Mobile Arena. What more can you ask for?”
Those teammates have helped take Duncan’s game to a new level. His development since joining American Top Team has been impressive to watch, with the Scot showing improvements from fight to fight as he has built a 5-1 resumé in the Octagon. The move to train at the world-renowned Florida gym has been a gamechanger for Duncan, who paid tribute to his teammates and coaches for making him a better fighter.
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Chris Duncan, Part 2 | Dana White’s Contender Series: Next Level
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"My attitude towards training is completely different,” he explained.
“I used to think that sparring as hard as possible (was the way forward), and you're doing all these crazy things, and the coaches have been pulling me back.
“To be totally honest with you, I think American Top Team itself has really elevated my game and changed it. And I think probably the people that I'm around on a daily basis, giving me their insight to how they prepare, and myself giving it back to them, that's been a huge part of their success in the last maybe four or five years since I've been in the UFC.”
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Duncan will take on fellow finisher Terrance McKinney in the featured preliminary card bout at UFC 323. On paper, it’s a fight that suggests the judges might not be required, with the pair combining for 27 finishes from 31 victories.
Being matched with an opponent with a 100 percent finish rate, Duncan knows that sparks are likely to fly on fight night. But he said the bout won’t feature any bad blood between the pair.
"I don't take anything personal in regards to the person himself. He's never said a bad word about me,” explained Duncan, who said the fight had no bad blood, just competitive rivalry.
“(He’s an) extremely dangerous opponent, a great opponent that I'm looking forward to stepping in the cage with.
“I like to test myself (and) Terrance is dangerous. (Teammate Grant Dawson) just said that he's probably one of the most dangerous guys in the division in the first round. So, hands up, chin down, and we'll be getting him finished. I'm gonna drag it on, and I'm gonna make him pay.”
Victory over McKinney at UFC 323 will put Duncan on a four-fight win streak and should put him within striking distance of the ranked contenders in the lightweight division. But getting ranked is only the next step in the journey for Duncan, who plans on taking his skills as high up the lightweight ladder as possible.
“Next year I'm looking to go out there and make a statement, really put on a good performance, and make everybody start talking about me,” he said.
“That means I can start attacking the top 15, because that's where I believe I belong. I need a number next to my name. I'm just a guy fighting in the UFC right now – a dangerous guy at that. And I’m looking forward to chipping into that top 15 and getting to the top 10 after that.”
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It’s a “who’s next” mentality that has become the hallmark of Duncan’s UFC career. He doesn’t care whose name appears on the bout agreement, he just signs his name, shows up to fight, and invariably gets the job done.
“The UFC lines them up, and I knock them down,” he stated.
“It's just as simple as that.”
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!