Chris Duncan opened up about his mother’s murder ahead of his headline bout against Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 272. 

Fight Night returns to the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night with Duncan looking to extend his 6-1 UFC record and against the former Lightweight title challenger. 

But 12 years ago, just as he was preparing to make his amateur MMA debut, his mother, Elaine, was murdered by her ex-partner James Morley. 

Morley had eight previous domestic abuse convictions for attacking Elaine, targeting her just four days after he was released from prison and breaching court orders designed to protect her. Duncan was notified of the incident on the day of his weigh-ins, pushing through the shock and grief to fight and win the next day. 

“It gave me a sense that your life can be ripped away from you at any given moment,” Duncan told CBS Sports about her death. “I remember standing in the club after the fight, drinking. I remember being around some of my friends and people I didn’t really know with some bad habits, like drinking and drugs. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Why am I wasting my time drinking, doing cocaine, and all these crazy things? I’m wasting my life.'”

“I decided to move into something I enjoyed,” Duncan said of his transition to MMA. “That was the gym, not so much MMA. I enjoyed fitness and training. That transpired into me jumping onto the MMA mat and getting better. That snowballed to me joining the UFC.”

He continued to say his mother’s death was a big catalyst for how his career began and why it continues.

“My mother had zero possessions. She was homeless. She had nothing. All we had was a wedding ring and a couple of photos from her… It’s good now to share with people who’ve lost their moms or gone through similar instances. I’m giving her memories. We have only memories because we don’t have much hard evidence. Giving her a shoutout gives her a memory and gives me something to work for.”

Along with the late Sabu and a few others, it could be argued that Rob Van Dam is one of the most influential pro wrestlers of today’s era. In many ways, his style has become the modern standard, but speaking on his YouTube channel, Van Dam shared his belief that there’s something missing.

“Today’s wrestlers, they watched me doing all my s**t and they didn’t have an old school [trainer like] original Sheik to teach them the fundamentals,” Van Dam said. “They’re the ones that are popping for all my s**t, then they’re gonna take it to a level that they have. … I am, I believe, partially responsible for how the business has changed, and that’s why.”

Van Dam acknowledged that he’s sometimes been guilty of going too far with extreme antics in his past matches, but he knows deep down that the big spots wind up meaning more when they’re used sparingly. This is something that Van Dam hopes the next generation begins to understand a little bit more.

The WWE Hall of Famer named Darby Allin as someone who stands out to him for putting his body on the line match after match, and he later brought up another AEW star – “Speedball” Mike Bailey. While their performances are exciting to witness, Van Dam believes there’s a balance to be struck, and younger stars should consider the long-term damage to their bodies before going too far.

Van Dam is no stranger to injuries himself, having just returned after breaking both of his heels during a battle royal in MLW last year.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Rob Van Dam and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

In addition to drawing new eyes to both wrestling promotions, Edwards pointed out that the WWE-TNA deal has carved an opening for underutilized names to gain exposure and experience. One such case is Arianna Grace herself, who up until recently, had been rarely seen on “NXT” anymore, despite her regular showings on TNA.

“It’s great when you’re in a relationship where it’s not a take, take, take thing,” Edward said. “It’s about both companies working together where certain talent, NXT, they have a lot of people on that roster, they can’t all be on the TV all the time. They all can’t be getting the reps all the time that they want. So send them over to TNA and they’ll get a few more reps in a whole different environment, from backstage to in the ring. Each company is different and have their own thing. So I think it’s very important, as a wrestler, to be able to perform in all these different environments and different styles. I think that’s another thing that you get with this relationship that is beneficial for both teams.”

Former NXT and TNA World Champion Trick Williams has echoed Edwards’ sentiments, citing his time under the TNA banner as one that especially helped him prepare for WWE’s main roster. According to Williams, TNA’s more relaxed creative operations allowed him to build trust in himself as a performer while also building the courage take risks in the ring. In the present day, Williams is now in line for his first WrestleMania match, with WWE veteran Sami Zayn as his opponent. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Q101” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.