For a moment there, Tom Duquesnoy’s much-hyped UFC debut on Saturday night was looking like a dud.
The JacksonWink fighter by way of Paris took his lumps against Patrick Williams in their UFC on FOX 24 bantamweight matchup, getting taken down, hit hard, and busted open.
Then Williams gassed badly, and Duquesnoy went from 0-to-60 in the blink of an eye.
Duquesnoy landed a vicious series of standing elbows in the closing second of the opening round, with Williams getting saved by the horn. But there was no such luck in the second, as the bout was waved off following a wicked elbow to the temple at the 38-second mark.
“I was a little nervous,” Duquesnoy admitted after the fight. “I thank the UFC for the opportunity. I have very good cardio; he kind of appeared tired.”
The victory improved the 23-year-old nicknamed “The Fire Kid” to 15-1 (1 NC). Absent a no-decision, he’s won 11 fights in a row. It was his 12th career finish.
Williams, of Homestead, Fla. dropped to 8-5, 1-2 in the UFC.