Widely considered as one of the top prospects in MMA, Frenchman Tom Duquesnoy is already on everyone’s radar in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
The former two-division BAMMA bantamweight and featherweight champion has dazzled the crowd with his precise and technical display of violent striking. He has finished 12 of his 15 pro wins and didn’t fail to deliver in his UFC debut when he dispatched of veteran Patrick Williams.
He is now set to take on powerful wrestler Cody Stamann this Saturday at UFC 216. The “Fire Kid” is only 24 years old as he continues his climb towards the bantamweight rankings.
I got the chance to ask Duquesnoy 21 questions for the fans to get to know him better.
1] Who is your role model?
I like the perfectionist character of Cristiano Ronaldo. I like the English philosopher Alan Watts. I think if you have a strong connection between your body and your soul, you can do great things.
2] Do you have any pets?
I have a dog. He’s a Shiba Inu, that’s the race of the dog and he comes from a special breeder in North Carolina. He’s my loyal friend; we’re hanging out a lot. He even has his own Instagram: @loulou_the_shiba_inu.
3] Favorite subject in high school?
For sure history and philosophy but if I had to chose something that helps me a lot for sure it’s philosophy because philosophy I adapt it to my life. I keep in mind everything I learn.
4] Dream venue to fight in?
It’s a good thing that I’m fighting in Las Vegas because it’s definitely Vegas for the big show; boxing fights and for the MMA big fights. It’s definitely one of the best places so half of my dream is coming true this weekend. The other is for sure Madison Square Garden in New York. That’s 2 of 3 but when I see the evolution of sports in Abu Dhabi or Dubai it’s also places that I have in mind.
5] Hardest thing to refrain from when cutting weight?
For sure the hardest part is modifying the portion. I’m a big fan of gourmet and high level cuisine and it’s definitely one of the hardest things.
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6] What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I like to travel, evolve in my spirituality, discovering people during my travels, the culture, new foods and new people. I love to do it through music, watching movies and lately I discovered a new pleasure, which is to write books.
I signed 6 months ago with Amphora. I am about to finish my first one which will be talking about how to prepare for an MMA fight, the technical information but also how to adapt the technique to the game plan for the fight. In the third part, I’ll talk more about the things that work for me. The diet, the perfectionism, how I use the philosophy and how I use hypnotherapy.
7] What is your favourite modeling pose and if you could pick anyone to do a modeling campaign with, who you would you pick?
My favourite modeling pose will be the one where I’m at 145 lbs, tanned and ready to fight. I feel like when I’m mentally and physically in shape, it’s a good symbiosis for me to be part of a shoot. Preferably I’d like to work with a beautiful girl but not too beautiful so she doesn’t overshadow me (laughs).
8] Favourite sports teams?
I don’t find anytime to watch any sports so I don’t have any.
9] Are you good at any other sports?
I practice all the sports to make my MMA better. Gymnastics and weightlifting are the best complimentary sports for MMA.
10] What’s your favorite food?
I have a lot of French/Arab friends so they always invite me over and I eat really good desserts, couscous, and things like that. I’m also a big fan of Japanese food like ramen, udon.
11] Favorite place you’ve ever been to?
Last summer I went to Italy for a month. I did a whole tour of the country with my friend with a Fiat, very Italian car with the roof open and we were playing old French music and all the Italian variety, that was a dream. I got to experience all the culture, the landscapes and the food.
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12] Which country would you like to visit that you’ve never been to?
Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I would love to discover the culture and meet people, it’s new. It’s full of new things that we don’t have in Europe.
13] What’s your favorite movie & who’s your favorite actor?
My favorite actor is ‘Robert De Niro’ playing in my favorite movie is ‘Once Upon a Time in America’.
14] What’s your current favorite song?
One artist I’m listening to a lot is Salvatore Adamo and the name of the song is “Que Le Temps S’arrête”
15] Who are your favourite music artists?
Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, INXS.
16] Song on your iPod that you’re embarrassed to have?
It’s actually one of the old new wave songs. Falco, he’s this German guy that used to do these new wave songs. Some of his songs are known but I am always teased by my friends who don’t listen to old music like I do.
17] What’s your worst pet peeve?
The lack of gratitude.
18] What’s your favorite fight that you’ve ever been in & best fight you’ve ever seen?
Favourite fight I’ve seen is Romero versus Whittaker. I loved the way Whittaker managed against such a dangerous and explosive guy like Romero and he did it 100%. That was balance, that was a beautiful fight and I am very happy he won that fight because he’s very humble and seems to be a hard worker. You see him evolve and it’s so inspiring to see fights like these.
I like my fight against Krzysztof Klaczek a few years ago in BAMMA. It was at featherweight and the guy was huge and explosive. It was a war and I had to settle down and I finally won the fight by kicking his liver with my knee and my shin in the 3rd round and I won by knockout.
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19] Favorite thing to wear when not working out?
Kind of James Dean style. Leather jacket, white t shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.
20] Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
Because the goal of life is to be happy, I’d like to be trapped with Mr. Happiness. I’d manage to be happy on my own.
21] Finally, what’s one thing that nobody knows about you?
I’m very sensitive
