One of several debuting talents at UFC 286 in London, English middleweight Christian Leroy Duncan arrived, facing off with Contender Series alum Dusko Todorovic.
Todorovic’s UFC career to date had seen him go 3-3 inside the octagon; Duncan entered the night signing direct to the promotion as a former Cage Warriors champion. A hotly anticipated debut, but his coming out party did not end as planned — through no fault of his own.
Duncan was feeling himself early in the fight, picking his shots, landing jabs and kicks and keeping Todorovic pinned down under fire. “CLD” flashed some stance switches, and later tied up Todorovic along the fence.
Just as Christian Leroy Duncan was primed to have a big night, however, the fight came to an underwhelming end. Todorovic had clinched, looking to land a throw; Duncan turned out of the clinch, overpowering him, and then Todorovic went down in a heap. Upon replay, his knee appeared to buckle, and the referee quickly came in and waved off the fight.
The result will be recorded as a TKO victory for Duncan, but it was clearly not the way he wanted to win. Todorovic received a round of applause as he stood up, but he was unable to walk under his own power.
“Completely anti-climactic finish, I really wanted to put on a big show,” Duncan admitted following the fight. Still, he said he “felt comfortable” in his debut, and hopefully, the promotion can book him into a second fight soon.
Official Result: Christian Leroy Duncan def. Dusko Todorovic by TKO (injury), Round 1, 1:52
