Athletes
JORDAN VUCENIC | KEEP ON KEEPING ON
Talented Lightweight Talks Path To UFC, Excitement For London Showdown With Chris Duncan
Jordan Vucenic has made the walk inside The Indigo at The O2 Arena several times, watching, listening, soaking in the experience as “All Goes Wrong” by Chase & Status boomed through the venue, the crowd vibing along with him before he stepped into the cage and went to war.
This weekend, the former Cage Warriors standout is set to bring that experience to The O2 proper — the big arena — when he takes on Chris Duncan in his sophomore appearance under the UFC banner, and he’s champing at the bit to experience those electric moments on a much larger scale.
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
“It’s gonna be amazing,” said Vucenic, unable to contain the smile spreading across his face as he pictured the scene on Saturday night in his head. “You’ve seen what it’s like at The Indigo when my music plays, and it’s just gonna be 20 times the capacity.
“Every time I fight, I take it all in because I know one day, I’m not gonna be able to do it; I’m gonna be old, so I try to take it all in. I just can’t wait for that song to play, to walk out, and think, yes! This is where I’m meant to be, this is where I’ve grinded 11 years to get to, and this isn’t where it stops; this is just the beginning!’ I’m excited for it.”
While he presently understands that this is where he is meant to be, there were moments not that long ago when he looked around and wondered what he needed to do in order to reach this stage.
Part of a triumvirate of talents in the featherweight division that traded championship gold among themselves along with Morgan Charriere and Paul Hughes, the recently turned 29-year-old was the last man standing under the Cage Warriors banner, as Hughes eventually signed with Bellator and migrated to the PFL, while Charriere inked a deal to compete in the Octagon, debuting in the fall of 2023.
Order UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
Vucenic spent that year logging a pair of stoppage wins, and then began last year with two more victories, and, for a brief second, the Corby man questioned if there was something he’d done to result in his not getting a call from the UFC.
“I was literally thinking, ‘What have I done wrong?’” he admitted with a laugh when asked about watching his two rivals move on to greener pastures. “I have always hyped up the UFC, I have always said I would never go with the Bellators, the PFLs, and was thinking, ‘What have I done?’
“But I stuck to the plan, trusted in the process, got there in the end, and I think I’m gonna make a real triumphant run in this game, I really do.”
The call eventually came last summer, just a couple weeks after Vucenic logged a first-round submission win over Adrian Kepa in his first lightweight appearance in years: a short-notice opportunity to compete in Abu Dhabi opposite Guram Kutateladze, at lightweight, in the UFC.
Full UFC London Fight Card Preview
Eight days after the phone rang, Vucenic was inside the Octagon, going toe-to-toe with “The Georgian Viking,” winning the opening round on all three scorecards before the veteran slowly took control of the contest and worked his way to a unanimous decision win.
Though not the result he wanted, it was a performance that immediately showed everyone that “The Epidemic” belongs on this level, can compete on this level. Most importantly, it showed that to Vucenic himself.
“I think I put these guys on a pedestal. I’ve watched Guram, everyone knows how class his striking is, and I thought, ‘This guy’s playing possum! It shouldn’t be easy to hit this guy.’
“Looking back now, it’s not that they’re on this level and I’m down here,” he continued, using his hands to indicate the levels in that hierarchical manner we all know. “They are on this level, but I’m on this level with them.
There is an ease and calm to the talented Englishman that is uncommon amongst fighters his age, in his position: days away from his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon, entering off a loss, in a high-pressure fight on home soil.
MORE UFC LONDON: Brady's Journey To London | Edwards & Lovell Bond
For the heavily tattooed lightweight, it all comes down to a popular refrain back home, and the experiences he’s already had in his professional career by following its direction.
“There’s a saying where I’m from, ‘Keep on keeping on,’ and that’s all I’ve done,” began Vucenic. “Trials and tribulations? ‘Keep on keeping on,’ and I’ve kept going.
“I was gonna say in the moment after the fight, ‘Just don’t give up.’ It’s as simple as that. Fought for my first professional title? Lost; I didn’t give up. Got to Cage Warriors, biggest fight in Cage Warriors history, defending my belt? I lost, but I didn’t give up; I just kept going.
“I keep on keeping on. UFC debut? Lost, and I’m just going to keep on keeping on. This has been my whole career, and I keep growing by levels and levels and levels, and this is going to be no different.
“Every time I’ve gotten better and better and better, and that’s what’s gonna happen.”
Listening to Vucenic speak about his career, the sticktoitiveness he’s displayed, and the vision he has for the future, you get the sense that this is someone with their head on properly; that he understands and appreciates the ebbs and flow of a life spent earning a living with your fists, and is completely honest with himself about the potential that things could go sideways any and every time he crosses the threshold into the Octagon.
But with acceptance comes peace, and with peace comes the ability to create incredible moments and show people who you are as an athlete, as a competitor, and as an individual, which is exactly what he intends to do on Saturday night in London.
“I understand you’ve got to take the good with the bad. I always say this to the fighters: ‘You don’t go swimming and not expect to get wet.’ You’re gonna get hit. I understand I can lose Round 1, I can lose Round 2, but I’m still coming for ya.
“I expect this to be no different with Chris,” continued Vucenic. “I understand he’s a real tough veteran, he’s 3-1 in the UFC, he’s got knockout power, but I just think I’m on a different wave.
Order UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
“There’s no point in even saying too much — I’m just gonna show you on the night, and I think there’s gonna be people coming away saying, ‘We’ve got another one of these new guys coming through,’ where everyone goes, ‘F***!’”
After settling for a birthday cake Grenade bar back on the second of March, a victory on Saturday evening is going to be the sweetest belated present Vucenic could possibly give himself, and if that does in fact come to pass, look to the center of the Octagon.
“You’re gonna see it — I’m gonna be smiling like a Cheshire Cat,” he said when asked what it would mean to collect a victory this weekend. “It’s my dream!”
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady took place live from O2 Arena in London, England on March 22, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags