Sherdog Prospect Watch: Tom Duquesnoy

In an era in which mixed martial arts is finally legal in New York, the sport remains largely ostracized in France, a product of a political tug-of-war between MMA advocates and the country’s influential French Judo Federation. While the future of professional cage fighting in France remains uncertain, it is quite the opposite for Parisian Tom Duquesnoy, whose place at or near the top of most reputable prospect lists seems secure until he makes the seemingly inevitable leap to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. That day could be on the horizon, as the “Fire Kid” has just two fights remaining on his British Association of Mixed Martial Arts contract. That includes his bantamweight title showdown with Shay Walsh in the BAMMA 25 headliner on Saturday at Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England — a card which streams live to Sherdog.com. Once his current deal is finished, Duquesnoy fully expects to make the Octagon home. “For the past two years I’ve been in contact with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby. We have a good relationship. We are aware that we will work together very soon,” Duquesnoy told Sherdog.com. “We just have much respect for each other, and we know we will at some point be in business together. For right now, the goal to me is to be more prepared because I want to be in the UFC to stay. I don’t want to go back and forth.” When it comes to MMA, Duquesnoy has always been in it for the long haul. While he was not allowed to practice MMA until the age of 18 in France, Duquesnoy immersed himself in the combat arts. Inspired by the exploits of Fedor Emelianenko in the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championships, he began practicing combat sambo, the legendary Russian’s discipline of choice, when he was 12. As the years passed, Duquesnoy added boxing, wrestling and muay Thai to his repertoire. He even tried his hand in Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments despite not initially knowing how to properly utilize the gi. For Duquesnoy, it was all in the name of research — a project that would pay off by his 18th birthday. When that day arrived, combat sports was no longer simply a tool Duquesnoy’s father hoped his son would learn in the name of self-defense. It was a potential career. His father then offered to pay his son’s expenses to move from Lens, France, to Paris in order to fully immerse himself in the MMA training lifestyle. If after one year’s time Duquesnoy had not proven himself, the deal would end. The investment has paid off; and really, Duquesnoy says, he was never really interested in a future outside of MMA. Fighting was the best way for him to live the life he envisioned for himself. “I’m not really as fascinated in school as I still am at MMA,” Duquesnoy said. “I took a philosophical approach [to my future]. I started asking myself what I wanted to be in life. When I was answering that question I was like, ‘I like traveling. I like training. I like to have a good state of mind. I like to be healthy. I like to discover new things, new languages, new culture, new people.’” Duquesnoy discovered that MMA could provide a means for him to do those things while still providing him with enough money to pay his …

continue reading in source www.sherdog.com