Hot French Prospect Tom Duquesnoy Announces That He's Signed With the UFC

Has the Ultimate Fighting Championship nabbed the next big thing?

Monday, hot French bantamweight prospect Tom Duquesnoy announced that he had signed with the UFC, posting the news on his personal Facebook page. The signing comes after two weeks of rumors and speculation that the “Fire Kid” was bound for the Octagon.



Following Duquesnoy's own Facebook message, one of his trainers, Jackson-Wink MMA's Brandon Gibson, posted confirmation of his charge's signing on Twitter.

I'm very excited that @tomfirekid has signed with the UFC! One of the most exciting martial… https://t.co/pFBZLpmzoy

— Brandon Gibson (@SixGunGibson) January 16, 2017

The 23-year-old Duquesnoy is a two-division champion for the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, owning belts at both 135 and 145 pounds. In 2016, the Frenchman dropped down to bantamweight, knocking out Irishman Damien Rooney in 82 seconds in February, then took BAMMA's 135-pound title, knocking out Shay Walsh with a standing elbow in only 75 seconds at BAMMA 25 in May.

Most recently, Duquesnoy defended his bantamweight strap in December, tapping out Brit Alan Philpott in the second round via rear-naked choke.

No date or opponent has been announced for Duquesnoy's forthcoming Octagon debut.