The Film Room: Tom Duquesnoy

Bantamweight prospect Tom Duquesnoy will look to bounce back from his first defeat in more than four years when the former two-division British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion tackles Terrion Ware at UFC Fight Night 127 on Saturday in London. Operating out of the Jackson-Wink MMA camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Duquesnoy has delivered 12 of his 15 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

This installment of The Film Room digs deeper into the offensively gifted Frenchman’s bag of tricks:

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Bloody Elbows

Duquesnoy’s prodigious muay Thai skills were in full effect at BAMMA 14 on Dec. 14, 2013, as he took on AVT Fight Team’s James Saville. While both men landed significant strikes early in the first round, it was Duquesnoy’s lobbing overhand left that shifted the momentum. Sensing victory was near, the “Fire Kid” pummeled Saville, and when the action spilled onto the mat, his ground-and-pound worked its magic. Saville’s defense was no match for the barrage of elbows that ended the fight 4:04 into Round 2.

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Fast and Furious

BAMMA 24 saw Duquesnoy carry a four-fight winning streak into his bantamweight title eliminator against Damien Rooney on Feb. 27, 2016. It lasted less than 90 seconds. The fight was over in a hurry, and it was brutal. Duquesnoy poured on the pressure from the start, leaving his counterpart no room to react. Solid punches and knees to the body set the stage for a crushing left hook that brought down Rooney 1:22 into the first round at 3Arena in Dublin.

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Two-Division Tyranny

Shortly after he demolished Shay Walsh to become the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts bantamweight champion, Duquesnoy squared off with Alan Philpott in the BAMMA 26 headliner on Dec. 16, 2016. The first round was evenly matched and even saw Philpott rock the “Fire Kid” with a head kick. Round 2 was a different story and re-ignited Duquesnoy’s thirst for victory. He scored with an elbow, brought Philpott to the ground and advanced to the back. After a few more punches, Duquesnoy cinched a rear-naked choke and forced the tap 3:35 into the second round.

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Dynamite Debut

Duquesnoy was 14-1 when he arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in April. The hyped “Fire Kid” and Patrick Williams locked horns on the preliminary portion of a UFC on Fox 24 fight card that featured flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s title defense against Wilson Reis. Duquesnoy wanted to make a statement in his promotional debut but saw his ambitions slowed after being taken down in the first round. Undeterred, the Frenchman connected with a savage elbow to the side of Williams’ head in the middle stanza, bringing their bout to a conclusion 28 seconds into Round 2.