How Chris Duncan Changed the Way I Thought About Combat Sports

Around the age of 22 or 23, I was living in my car, sleeping outside gyms, and scraping by through personal training. I thought of myself as a dedicated athlete, I was sacrificing everything I could in pursuit of becoming the best fighter possible.

One morning, I was sleeping on the couch at the gym before pro class when there was a knock at the door. It was Chris Duncan. I hadn’t seen him in about four years, back from my boxing days, and didn’t know him personally. But he walked in and jumped into the pro BJJ class. At that time, he was one of the only true MMA fighters around, so it was a big surprise to see him.

A chain of events followed that eventually led me to teaching jiu-jitsu at Chris’s gym. I was still living in my car then, and honestly, I felt like that gave me a real sense of confidence , that I was sacrificing more than anyone else. But the more time I spent around Chris, the more I realised just how far behind I was in certain areas.

Chris was dialled in on every single aspect of being an athlete. While I was willing to train and study all day, he had the full picture covered: strength and conditioning, nutrition, recovery, and discipline. He didn’t slip. He also sought out knowledge constantly. I remember him driving all the way down to Liverpool and back just to get padwork in with a coach, and even to see a doctor for performance testing , then driving home the same day. That level of seriousness about being an athlete was eye-opening for me.

On top of that, Chris was building his personal brand. He was posting on Facebook and Instagram consistently, showing what it really took to live as a fighter and how to make money from combat sports. Watching him, I started to realise that being successful in this game wasn’t just about training hard, it was about building yourself up in every area of life.

The key lessons I’ve taken from Chris are simple but powerful:

• Surround yourself with people on the same mission.

• Leave no stone unturned.

• Hard work is everything.

• Family values matter most.

Chris changed the way I thought about combat sports and about life. That’s why I’m excited to announce that he’ll be holding a seminar here on 29th October, 6–8 PM, with rolling afterwards.

If you’ve got goals, whether in combat sports or just in life, I can’t recommend learning from Chris enough. He helped me massively, and I know he can do the same for you.