Tom Duquesnoy may only be 23 years old, but his journey to mixed martial arts greatness has already been a remarkable one.

The Frenchman is the current BAMMA featherweight and bantamweight champion with a professional record of 13-1. He's widely regarded as one of hottest prospects in MMA and next month at BAMMA 27 he will face the BAMMA Lonsdale bantamweight champion Alan Philpott in an attempt to win his third BAMMA title.

Stay tuned to FloCombat to LIVE-stream BAMMA 27 from 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday, December 16.

Where it all began

It would be a remarkable achievement for the young Frenchman, but for him, the journey began a long time ago before he even entered his teenage years.

"I started MMA at twelve and as a wrestler, I had over 100 fights," Duquesnoy said. "I've done a lot of combat sambo too, and I've got five French championship titles. I've also done a lot of boxing and Muay Thai. This was all to try and be as complete as possible before I was 18 when it is legally possible to fight MMA.

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"The deal with my professors was you get your degrees at the age of 18 and then they would give me anything I needed to go to Paris in the north. Paris has the best MMA in France, so I got my philosophy degree and went to Paris to become the best in my category in France and I managed to do that in a year and a half."

The science behind his ascension

Coming from an educational background of philosophy, it makes sense that Duquesnoy would apply what he could to his MMA career. Speaking about his approach to his career progression, the Frenchman explained that there has always been some element of science behind it. 

"I've always worked with this one philosophy," Duquesnoy said. "If you want to be amateur, you should be good enough to be professional. If you want to be professional, you should be good enough for the UFC, and if you want to be in the UFC, you should be good enough for the title. That's what I've always worked by that and that's how I've progressed with my career so far.

"It always means that I'm ahead of the game and that I'm always in a little bit of an advance of my opponent. The opponents that I've had so far have been good. Brendan Loughnane, Shay Walsh, Damien Rooney, and Alan Philpott are all opponents that have had bigger records than me and have been great opponents. These are the type of fighters that get me ready for the next step."

How he arrived at Jackson-Wink MMA

Having navigated his early career through France and formulated a plan for his rise to the top, Duquesnoy made the big decision to head stateside to continue his development. The Frenchman explained why a certain gym in New Mexico won his heart.

"I flew to the West Coast [of the U.S.], and I spent two months there going from gym-to-gym," Duquesnoy said. "I went to Blackhouse, Xtreme Couture, Syndicate MMA--just all the biggest gyms you can think of in Vegas. I finished my trip by heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for two weeks at Jackson-Wink and I knew from day one that it was the right place for me.

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"From the very first day they gave me what I needed. They gave me free personal classes, even though I'm not a UFC fighter, and Greg [Jackson] still even comes to my fights, even though they are in Europe. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such talented coaches. They are so humble, great workers, and I respect that. The only thing I know is hard work, humility, and I respect them so much."

Working with the best at Jackson-Wink

Joining Jackson-Wink at such a young age has given Duquesnoy the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in MMA on a day-to-day basis.

"Today, I worked with Landon Vanatta (UFC lightweight), I was sparring with him," Duquesnoy said. "Then I did a little work with Diego Brandao (former TUF winner), and we have guys like John Dodson as well. Just so many guys who are either in the UFC or going to the UFC. They also bring in loads of guys from the local university to help us with our wrestling. I also train a lot with the Russian guys when they are here.

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"I'm surrounded by amazing, inspiring fighters and here I believe I'm surrounded by the best coaches in the world. I know it's subjective, but after the Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey fight, Coach [Mike Winkeljohn] and Coach (Greg) Jackson were nominated and elected best trainers in the world, so I really believe that."

Having everything he needs in New Mexico

Having settled now in the U.S., Duquesnoy believes he now has everything he needs in New Mexico and that he has the right things in place for him to achieve his goals.

"The gym we have is amazing," Duquesnoy said. "Coach Wink initially bought it for $3 million when it was a mansion--the DEA building. He renovated everything, so now it is a big structure with two cages, a lot of mats, a nutritionist, Dr. Bo, who is the best doctor and chiropractor in New Mexico. I have everything here.

"I'm not only here for camp now. I feel at home here now and we will see what happens after fight what happens. I feel like I'm less in Paris than I'm here right now, and I even have my own apartment here that even when I'm not here is still mine. I put everything together for this, and my vision is to be a champion in the UFC. But I know I need to first win against Alan [Philpott] at BAMMA 27."

Don't bet the house on the UFC being his next stop

While his ultimate goal might be to one day be a UFC champion, the Frenchman isn't totally putting all his eggs in the UFC basket for his next fight contract. Duquesnoy knows he will likely have a multitude of offers coming in, and for the moment at least, he won't be ruling out anything.

"I take everything one fight at a time," Duquesnoy said. "I think I will wait until after the next fight, look at everything on the table and then make a decision. I think will have a lot of propositions--especially American ones. WSOF, UFC, the Russian promotions want to work with me too; BAMMA, Bellator will also make me some offers very soon.

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"It's just a case of considering them all, and then I will see what the best move is for my career."

A refreshing outlook on life

The dual-weight BAMMA champion also stressed that while his career goal may be to win the UFC title, his ultimate goal and life ambitions are something very different. Duquesnoy made a refreshing distinction between the two for someone so young.

"I don't care for being recognized," Duquesnoy said. "I create my own path in life, because I want to be in the best shape both physically and mentally. I want to travel the world, discover new cultures, meet new people, and just take in new experiences. While living that life, you must make things work for you financially, and I believe that MMA is my best way of doing that.

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"Being happy right now for me means being healthy and reaching my goals. Sure, I want to be the best in the world, but only because that is a way for me to be happy and healthy.

"At the end of the day, it's true. It's about the journey, not the destination."

How to Watch

BAMMA 27

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