Long before he entered the cage, Scotland’s Chris Duncan lived a simple life as a shepherd. It provided valuable lessons in focus and self-discipline. He would sometimes dabble in MMA as an amateur fighter, but it was the untimely death of his mother, Elaine, in 2014, which pushed him towards a dramatic career switch.

“My mother was m–d–ed in 2014, April 18th, and that was the day of the weigh-ins to my first ever fight,” he said on the Easily Distracted Podcast on October 20. “So, I still went ahead and went with the fight. Won the fight.”

The fight was against Scotland’s Chris Morton, under SFC 8 – Firepower’s banner. Duncan won the fight via TKO in the first round. The whole fight lasted just 56 seconds, and following this, Duncan went on to feature in ten more amateur fights. But the switch from a shepherd to a fighter took time.

“And I was a shepherd at the time, was a farmer. [One day], I was standing and fixing a fence, and the water was dripping down my a–. I was like, ‘What am I doing? This is stupid.’ Like mom’s life’s just been ripped away from me.”

The was a difficult time in his life, and to get away from it, he decided to pursue what he liked. “So, I thought, ‘What do I enjoy?’ I enjoy fitness, enjoy the gym, and I also enjoy fighting. So, I thought, I’m going to go into the gym and just have a crack at that. So, I quit my job. And, you know, I was kind of in limbo.”

But regardless of the uncertainty, he went to the gym. There, he met Chris Crow, who offered him a part-time job in the gym and some more hours in the supplement shop. That is where it all truly started for Duncan.

Like an ostrich, he buried his head in the sand when it came to MMA. The hours he would practice, he wouldn’t think about anything else going on in his life. Those hours gave him clarity and helped him get where he is today.

“For about ten years, I was just head into it… So, out of something super traumatic has been something super rewarding.

“My life has been roller coaster after roller coaster. A lot of people think that’s a sad thing. Maybe it was at the time but I am kind of at peace with what’s happened.”

The 32-year-old now holds a 14-2 professional record and is 5-1 in the UFC. He successfully turned a deeply personal pain into motivation and continues to do so. After all, his journey in MMA has tested not only his physical ability but also his mental resilience—a quality he continues to display every time he enters the Octagon.

Chris Duncan reflected on mental health issues

Over the years, fans have come to see Chris Duncan as more than just a powerful striker. Trauma, anger, and the resilience that carried him through it all have marked his decade-long journey in MMA. The Scottish lightweight has learned to transform that turbulence into composure and focus every time he steps inside the cage.

His path has been anything but easy, defined by a constant pursuit of a balance between mental clarity and physical endurance. In a conversation with EssentiallySports earlier this month, Chris Duncan reflected: “I hate saying mental health because a lot of the media talks about it right now. But maybe, like, your mental capacity is 90% of what you are. All these cuts I have were superficial. They heal on their own.

“But sometimes, people would heal on their own, and they end up going into the battle with mental health. And that’s what I was trying to get across,” Duncan explained.

With Chris Duncan continuing his climb in the lightweight division, can the 32-year-old, who has transformed pain into motivation, rise to the top and challenge the division’s best? Let us know your thoughts below.