UFC 323: How his mother’s murder steeled Chris Duncan for UFC’s toughest fights

Performances like Chris Duncan’s gutsy win over Mateusz Rebecki four months ago can define a fighter.

In a brutal back-and-forth battle, which left both fighters bloodied and battered, it was Scotland’s Duncan who got his hand raised in a fight-of-the-year contender.

Fans and pundits praised Duncan for the grit and determination he showed, while Duncan says even his coaching team were surprised by the level of his performance.

“My training partner Robert Whiteford – I don’t think he knew I was capable of that and he sung my praises after,” Duncan told BBC Sport.

Duncan, however, was not surprised by his showing.

He knew what he was capable of because the trauma he experienced as an amateur fighter built the resilience he would need to overcome life’s toughest challenges.

On 18 April 2014, a day before Duncan’s amateur debut, his mother Elaine was murdered by her boyfriend James Morley, who was jailed for life for the crime.

“I still went ahead with the fight the following day. A lot of people would have pulled out in that moment,” said Duncan.

“I won the fight, and I remember standing in the club after with a couple of bottles of beer. I was a shepherd at the time, and I was like ‘this life isn’t for me any more’.

“I’m working hard and my life can be ripped away from me at any instant.”