Christian Leroy Duncan Biography: Age, UFC Career, First Main Event and Latest News

 

Quick Facts: Born 1995 (age 31) · England · UFC middleweight · 15-3 MMA record · 8-3 UFC.

Christian Leroy Duncan competed in his first UFC main event against Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 290 on Saturday, 10 October 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Duncan was elated when the update came — he wouldn‘t be fighting Allen on the UFC 332 main card in Salt Lake City; instead, his face would be prominently featured on the poster with a UFC Fight Night 290 main event booking.

“To compete against Allen, it’s a big opportunity,” Duncan told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I think he main evented one of the cards here in the APEX when I first come here to the UFC. To now be able to main event against him is an amazing opportunity”.

Duncan, 31, has been recognized as one of the middleweight division‘s top rising stars since his emergence as a contender for leading European regional promotion Cage Warriors. In July 2024, Duncan lost a unanimous decision to Gregory Rodrigues, a fighter who has emerged as a top contender in recent performances. It was a necessary growing pain, according to Duncan, who had won five fights in a row heading into the Allen fight. “I’m glad that happened early in my career,” Duncan said. “You can iron out those things that you need to put me on this momentum I‘m riding right now”.

However, Duncan’s first main event ended in defeat. Although he had some solid moments against Allen, he ultimately succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the fifth round. Despite the loss, Duncan remains in the top 15 at 185 pounds, and a matchup with Roman Kopylov seems inevitable in the division.