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.”