Chris Duncan admits beating Bolaji Oki in Saturday’s UFC contest “is everything for me.” With 11 wins from 13 MMA fights, including two wins and one loss in the UFC ranks, the 31-year-old Duncan will battle against a 28-year-old opponent who is on a nine-fight winning streak in the Octagon at the Accor Arena in Paris.
I don’t want to be going on a two-fight skid, which means your job could potentially be on the line in this sport. A win is everything for me on Saturday. It is massive—the biggest fight of my life. If it is not the biggest fight of your life, you are in the wrong sport. The pressure that I put on myself is always the same, Duncan said.
One of my favorite fighters mentioned that he doesn’t plan anything until after the fight. He is going to war, and everything is dedicated to that day, he added. Duncan has “taken the time to heal” following his UFC defeat by Manuel Torres after losing some funding during his “time of need.” I was in Mexico at the time, and I needed funds to pay for my corner team—for their hotels, their food—and I banked on that money, he stated.
It wouldn’t have been such an issue if I had won my fight, because I would have gotten double my money, but I lost my fight, so I got half my money. However, Duncan asserted that he had put the business difficulties behind him. These things make you grow, make you a better person, and make you understand who the real ones are. I feel much better than I have ever been, and the only thing that bothers me is the loss now, the British fighter concluded.
Teddy Atlas believes the first couple of rounds against Mike Tyson could be dangerous for Jake Paul when they finally collide this November. Tyson will take the ring for his first professional fight in nearly 20 years following his 2005 defeat to Kevin McBride. The first couple minutes could be a little risky for Paul against a guy who was the youngest heavyweight champ and a guy with one of the greatest combinations of speed and power in the history of the heavyweight division, said Atlas.
For one or two rounds, could it be a little hairy? Yeah. If he doesn’t catch him, or he doesn’t hurt him, then the gas tank starts to putter; if that happens, then the young man would have the advantage. Even a young man who’s far less accomplished in the game. The fight will favor Paul the longer it goes, he added.
Meanwhile, Derek Chisora feels Oleksandr Usyk should walk away from boxing if he defeats Tyson Fury for a second time this December. Three world titles are on the line when the two fight at the end of the year; if Usyk prevails, he will also have victories against Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Fury. Usyk dominated at cruiserweight, where he was also the unchallenged champion, before ascending to the heavyweight title in 2021.
Chisora, who lost to Usyk in 2020, believes he has nothing more to accomplish. The Ukrainian celebrity has not offered any indications about what lies next for him after Fury. I’ve got a feeling after this fight in December he’ll retire. What’s the point? You’ve got all the belts, you’ve beaten them all, and you retire unbeaten. He wants to hang out with his wife and go and fight the war, said Chisora in a recent interview with Talksport.
