Two-time Contender Series veteran Chris Duncan took on Israeli Yanal Ashmouz on the prelims of UFC London.
Lightweights Duncan and Ashmouz both notched wins in their UFC debuts at UFC 286, the last UFC event in London. The Scot, Duncan, won a split decision over Omar Morales following his impressive come-from-behind knockout on DWCS while Ashmouz stopped Sam Patterson with strikes in just over a minute. These two were anticipating a hard fought war when they stepped into the cage at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday, but Chris Duncan won that war and made it look almost easy on the way there.
Ashmouz opened with a spinning wheel kick that missed but drew a loud ‘oooh’ from the crowd. Duncan primarily went forward early on and looked to land big round kicks to the head and legs. At times they fell into the pocket and exchanged big blows, with Duncan landing a particularly hard uppercut two minutes in. Duncan’s round kicks continued; they did not land cleanly but had to be affecting the arms of Ashmouz negatively. The output of Ashmouz was relatively low; he waited a lot, got pressed to the fence, and Duncan found shots through the guard. Nothing seminal landed, but the Scotsman did consistent attritive damage. Ashmouz shot for a takedown off of an overhand with one minute left in the round but Duncan stuffed it easily and landed big shots after they broke. Ashmouz landed a big straight right after that, however, that made Duncan back up momentarily. The end of the round saw Ashmouz try a body kick which Duncan caught and used to take down the Israeli right before the bell.
The second round presented a similar dynamic to the first. Duncan pressed Ashmouz back early and landed a flying knee and a leg kick that buckled Yanal’s legs. The knees from Duncan became a constant feature when he got Ashmouz against the fence, stepping in with them as Yanal shelled up. The left hand of Ashmouz was rarely in action, perhaps proving the high kicks of Duncan had injured it, although Chris threw far fewer head kicks in round two. A wheel kick from Yanal midway through the round landed partially on the guard and partially on the head of Duncan, but the steel chin of the Scotsman let him walk through it. The pressure of Duncan really ramped up in the middle round; Ashmouz had some moments going forward in the first stanza but had almost none in the second. Ashmouz slipped and fell to the mat off a flying knee to close the round.
Ashmouz told his corner he could not even make a fist before the final round started, proving his arm was injured. Duncan really began to pour the volume on when the round started, rocking Ashmouz early on and not letting up after that. Yanal was on a constant retreat for about a minute until he bit down on his mouthpiece and charged forward with wild overhands, though they missed and Duncan resumed his assault afterwards. With two minutes left in the round Duncan landed a big knee to the head but Ashmouz’s chin stayed strong, somehow he kept his footing through that and the constant assault from Chris Duncan. After that though he really looked worn out. Duncan switched it up and landed a takedown with one minute left in the fight. Yanal got back to his feet but Duncan held the rear body-lock for thirty seconds until he decided to break and hit the Israeli with more strikes. He kept the pressure and pace going until the final bell, sealing a clear win for the Scotsman.
Chris Duncan looked like a completely different fighter, revamped fully since he got hurt badly several times and had to come back to win his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. His striking was cleaner and more purposeful than ever, it left no room for doubt as to the decision. All three judges agreed and gave Duncan the decision, two of them giving him all three rounds while one somehow found a round for Ashmouz.
Official Result: Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
