Cage Warriors champion middleweight, Christian Leroy Duncan, is now headed to the UFC
Duncan was scheduled to defend his middleweight title last night against Jesse Taylor at Cage Warriors 148. Unfortunately, late last night Taylor was involved in a freak hit-and-run accident which resulted in the American not being granted medical clearance to compete.
Although he would not get to defend his title, it would end up marking one of the biggest moments of Duncan’s career. During the broadcast, the 27-year-old announced that he had signed to the UFC and would be debuting on the London show in March.
BREAKING NEWS: @CLDuncan_ is going to the @UFC
pic.twitter.com/TwvqDDXDRs
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 31, 2022
“First and foremost, I want to wish Jesse a speedy and healthy recovery,” said Duncan. “It was a freak accident that happened – you couldn’t write what happened. There’s a lot of things in this game you can’t control, and unfortunately, this was one of them.
“I was looking forward to this fight. Jesse is one of the most experienced fighters on the planet in MMA. It would have been a great test for me, especially with the plans going forward to the next level.
“Saying that, at this time I think we’ve made a decision. I’ll be handing this belt back to Cage Warriors and next year, 2023, London, March, I’ll be looking to make my UFC debut in London.” (H/T FightersOnlyMag)
Duncan is another excellent acquisition for the UFC’s 185lb division, which is being flooded with young talent. Duncan is a devastating striker who brings an undefeated professional record and a bunch of high-level amateur experience.