Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at French bantamweight Tom Duquesnoy as he makes his UFC debut against American Patrick Williams at UFC on Fox 24 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tom “Fire Kid” Duquesnoy
Hometown: Lyon, France
Age: 23
Height: 5-foot-7
Reach: NA
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Camp: Jackson-Winklejohn MMA
Career Record: 14-1
Key Wins: Brendan Loughnane
Key Losses: Makwan Amirkhani
Background
The two-division BAMMA Champion makes his way over to the UFC in 2017. The highly-touted prospect has won his last three fights stoppage and hasn’t lost since 2013.
Strengths
- Began training in Combat SAMBO at a young age
- Constantly adapting martial artist with experience in a variety of martial arts
- Great athlete
- Aggressive striker
- Significant power for the bantamweight division
- Strong in the clinch capable of throwing kitchen sink at opponents
- Shown keen ability to land to the body
- Intelligent fighter that has a striking acumen beyond his years
- Capable in scrambles and transitions
Weaknesses
- Just how good is his defensive wrestling
- Striking defensive still has some holes
- Willing to take punches to deliver his own strikes
Fighter Grade
Offensive Striking: B+
Striking Defense: C-
Knockout Power: B
Athleticism / Speed: B+
Footwork: B-
Chin: C+
Offensive Wrestling: C
Takedown Defense: C-
Submissions: C
Conditioning: C+
Intangibles: B
Overall Grade: B
Matchup with Patrick Williams
Duquesnoy makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut at UFC on Fox 24 against Patrick Williams. Duquesnoy, a two-division champion with BAMMA, has already faced UFC-quality opposition despite his young age, so I don’t anticipate a slow start from him in this bout. This matchup significantly favors Duquesnoy because of his speed and aggression. Williams is a good athlete in his own right, but he’s coming off a nearly two year layoff. Williams doesn’t have the endurance to withstand a three-round fight with Duquesnoy, and that ability is diminished even further with the layoff. Williams is going to struggle with Duquesnoy’s output. Williams could try to negate Duquesnoy’s output with wrestling, but Williams hasn’t shown he can hold opponents down for any decent length of time. I fully expect the Frenchman to be the aggressor from the opening bell and to pour it on until Williams can’t go anymore. Look for Duquesnoy to impress in his UFC debut and to win by either first or second round TKO. At just -110, Duquesnoy to win by KO / TKO is one of the better bets on the fight card.
UFC Ceiling
Duquesnoy is one of the top MMA prospects in the world, and he is certainly the best one to join the UFC’s bantamweight division since Thomas Almeida debuted in November 2014. What sets Duquesnoy apart from most prospects is that he’s already a refined mixed martial artist. He’s trained in so many different disciplines that nothing he sees should really surprise him too much. He trains at one of the best camps in the world with Jackson’s in New Mexico. Certainly he will improve as he continues to test himself against quality opposition. Currently, he’s a fringe Top 10 bantamweight in the division, and with his diverse striking attack, the sky is the limit for his ceiling. He has the makings of a fighter, who at a minimum, will be in title contention for several years in the UFC.
Fight Film
Check out Duquesnoy in some of his most recent fights…
Duquesnoy vs. Alan Philpott
Duquesnoy vs. Damien Rooney
Duquesnoy vs. Shay Walsh
