Christian Leroy Duncan was determined to spin his way to victory and that’s exactly what led to his vicious knockout over Marco Tulio to kick off the UFC Vegas 111 main card.
After cracking Tulio with a spinning back elbow that split the Brazilian open in the first round, Duncan followed that up with a spinning backfist in the second that led to his finish. With Tulio on wobbly legs after absorbing the shot, Duncan followed with a brutal right hand that faceplanted his opponent on the canvas to end
the fight.
The official stoppage came at 3:20 in the second round as Duncan gets the knockout win.
“This is most definitely the statement I wanted to make tonight,” Duncan said afterwards. “I think this puts us in a great position to get a top 15 matchup. This is the statement I wanted to make today. What a tough guy and a great fighter.
“I’m evolving at a fast rate. I’m refining my skill set now. I feel that the sky’s the limit. I’m going to be a problem.”
Duncan came out aggressive from the jump, never giving Tulio a moment to catch his breath as the middleweights immediately started exchanging blows. The spinning back elbow that sliced open Tulio had blood dripping down his face as he tried not to get overwhelmed from the constant pressure and blitzing attacks coming from Duncan.
Tulio definitely had his moments but Duncan was determined to score the finish and that’s when he unleashed the spinning backfist in the second round that stopped his opponent dead in his tracks. While Tulio didn’t go down, he was barely able to stand and Duncan quickly followed up with the punch that ended his night in devastating fashion.
The knockout puts Duncan on a three-fight win streak including back-to-back knockout wins as he looks for a chance to get a ranked opponent next in the middleweight division.
