Christian Leroy Duncan | The Next Step Of The Masterplan

"I definitely see this fight as a big opportunity, as (I do) all my fights. But having a name such as Jared Cannonier lights an extra fire underneath you. I'm very self-motivated, so I have even more motivation added on top. It's due to be a good night.”

Duncan delivers his answers with thought and clarity, and he’s taken a similar approach to his UFC career. A former Cage Warriors middleweight champion, Duncan signed with the UFC at the end of 2022 and has gone 7-2 inside the Octagon, with five of those victories coming via stoppage. 

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Saturday night will see Duncan make the walk for his 10th UFC fight, and Duncan said that he has continued to learn and improve with each fight as the level of opponent has steadily risen.

My career so far in the UFC, I've done a lot of learning in the first year, I would say,” he explained.

“These are the key things now that are going to push me to that contender spot. Outside of the Octagon, I'm developing and evolving, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month. So, the version of me you see in March in London is going to be a completely different version to what you see come Saturday.”

“Competing against Roman in London was a fun fight, because we knew what he brings, and we knew that he likely wanted to stalemate the fight, just because of how the styles matched up,” he explained.

“I would have liked to have a bit more time on the feet with him, but he did his job well. But overall, it was a fun fight, it was a good fight, and it was a good one to get into the top 15 and experience that next level of opponent.

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“Roman posed some important tests for me in there. He showed me the upper level of the grappling, because he’s one of the best grapplers in the division, if not within the UFC, especially experience-wise. So, to go in there, hold my own, and be able to shut down a lot of the stuff he was trying to do gives me confidence to know, ‘Yeah, OK. I’m ready. I’m ready for this level now'."

Now Duncan moves from one seasoned veteran to another. Cannonier has fought across three weight classes in the UFC and has settled at middleweight, where he earned a shot at the undisputed title back in 2022. He’s been facing high-level opposition ever since, and will be looking to rebound after a frustrating decision loss to Michael “Venom” Page at UFC 319.

Duncan knows he has a tough test ahead of him, and will relish the chance to pit his skills against “Tha Killa Gorilla” on Saturday night.

“My thoughts on Jared Cannonier as a fighter are that he brings what he brings to the table, and he brings it well,” he said.

“His style hasn't changed much over the years, but it's because he's so good at what he does. He doesn't need to change too much, you know? He's just got better at what he already does. He does it well. 

“He's well experienced. He's fought multiple different guys, different styles, so he knows how to adjust, and we're taking that into account, and it just makes for an even more entertaining fight come Saturday night.”

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It’s the latest step in a career that has seen steady progression, without going too fast, too soon. Everything seems to be on pace, and Duncan said he’s in no rush to get to the top. The aim is to get there at the right time, not at the earliest time.  

“The progression, it’s felt quick, but at the same time, I thought it would go this way naturally, just because of my style of fighting and what I bring in the Octagon,” he said.

“I'm not in any kind of rush – I've said this before – I take each fight as they come. But as long as I keep getting these fights that are putting us in the right direction, then I'm happy.”

It’s all part of a masterplan Duncan and his team have put together for his career. Some fighters go fight-to-fight, others try to work to a year-to-year plan, but Duncan and his team are working to a bigger-picture plan, and so far it’s going well.

“We plan a few years ahead, and it's been that way from amateur,” he said.

“We plan years ahead, because it's a long game, and we're looking to go to a higher level. So naturally, we plan out years, but anything can happen, anything can change. So, after each fight, we come together, debrief, reevaluate, and then set a plan again going forward. We have a main plan, but obviously that gets broken up into sections.”

Victory over Cannonier could unlock the next level of that masterplan, with a win on Saturday night likely to thrust Duncan into matchups with top 10-ranked opposition. It also means the possibility of more appearances on big-arena shows in the United States, and he’s excited to showcase his skills in front of the Oklahoma City crowd at Paycom Center this weekend.

“I'm looking forward to fighting in an arena here in the U.S.” he said.

“My past five fights that I've had in the U.S. have been at the APEX in Las Vegas. So now I'm able to perform in front of a crowd here in Oklahoma – I think the capacity is around 18,000, 17,000 – the crowd is in for an exciting night.”