UFC Vegas 122 went down last this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 10, 2026) in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Malcolm Wellmaker, who suffered his third straight defeat after getting knocked out by Otari Tanzilov (see it again here).
And Kai Kamaka III, who was flatlined by a devastating Andre Fili head kick (highlights). And let’s not forget Leon Shahbazyan, who was knocked out by Niko Price (highlights). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst
post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Christian Leroy Duncan.
Coming into his fight against Brendan Allen, Duncan had a lot riding on the line. Not only was it his first-ever headlining fight, he was facing the No. 5 ranked contender in the Middleweight division, which meant a win for “CLD” would put him in that very position, putting him amongst the elite.
Unfortunately for Duncan, he came up just short.
Initially, Duncan came out strong to open up the fight, winning the striking battle on the feet, putting Allen on notice. And while he did okay for the remainder of the fight, it was Allen who was dictating the pace, winning the grappling exchanges and utilizing his all-around attack to prevent “CDL” from enjoying another successful round.
In the fifth and final round, however, Duncan had a lapse in judgement, as he relaxed for a split second while Allen was draped all over his back, which allowed “All In” to sink in a fight-ending rear-naked choked with a couple of minutes left in the fight.
And just like, Duncan saw his five-fight win streak go up in smoke. In the process. his momentum is halted and his march toward the Top 5 is over, a tough blow for a streaking fighter who was seemingly on the cusp of breaking through.
“Thankful for the experiences that carry us forward,” Duncan wrote on social mediafollowing the tough loss. “Nothing changes. The fire is too bright to dampen. The pursuit continues. Back to work.”
It’s a tough loss for the former Cage Warriors Middleweight champion of the world because his five-fight win streak was the longest of his UFC career. That said, I wouldn’t bet against him to not be able to collect another similar streak. He has shown he has a well-rounded arsenal, he just needs to tweak a little things here and there to tighten his game up a bit.
As far as what could be a good bounce back challenge for him, a fight against Anthony Hernandez may be in order. “Fluffy” is currently ranked No. 8 in the division, but he is barely hanging on to that spot because he is riding a two -fight losing streak, with his last win coming against Roman Dolidze over a year ago. Since then, he has lost to Sean Strickland and Gregory Rodrigues, so like Duncan he needs a win in the worst way.
Thoughts?
