Preview: UFC London Prelims

Middleweights

Christian Leroy Duncan (10-2) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (9-2)
Odds: Duncan (-625), Pulyaev (+455)

His prospect upside is a bit unclear at the moment, but Leroy Duncan's fights should continue to generally be a highlight of the UFC's trips to his native England. Duncan had a long amateur career prior to turning professional in 2020, which led to "CLD" being both poised and effective from the jump, putting together a highlight reel that quickly got him on the UFC's radar. Since his signing in 2023, Duncan's done well to fill in some of the gaps in his game, building in some bullying clinch work that's allowed him to win rounds when the knockout is unavailable, but that's also run him into a clear ceiling; in his last fight, Gregory Rodrigues ran a better version of much the same game and walked away with a one-sided victory. Duncan's already 29 years old and that long amateur career makes him an interesting case study in just when fighters tend to peak, but for the time being he looks for a rebound win against newcomer Pulyaev.

An Alexander Shlemenko pupil, Pulyaev had a solid performance to earn a contract on the Contender Series last year, a nice proof of concept after a regional career that didn't look the strongest on paper. The Russian has more size parity with Duncan than most, which could prove a bit tricky for the UFC veteran, but with Duncan's ability to eat any tricky shots that come his way, this looks like a fight where the Englishman can effectively play the bully once again; the pick is Duncan via decision.

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