Duke Didier was forced to move his life "underground".
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The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic was about to bring his mixed martial arts career to a standstill. Gym doors were all but boarded up as Melbourne went into lockdown.
Fighters desperate to make a living were doing anything they could to stay sharp. There were moments so many would have wondered why they bothered.
Didier had his fair share of those. The Canberra product hasn't fought since September 2019, he had moved his entire life interstate only to be hit by lockdowns, an injury doctors said should have ended his career, and major surgeries to save it.
But now it all pays off. Because on Saturday night, Didier returns to the cage to headline a brand new promotion in his hometown.
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Three dates have been set, but finally Didier [7-1] faces former training partner DJ Taumoepeau [3-3] in a heavyweight bout in the main event of Endouro Fight Series at a sold-out Hellenic Club of Canberra.
It brings him a long way from training sessions in car parks and living life "underground" as a fighter locked out of a gym.
"The very first lockdown we had, we weren't sure what the situation was. We were all training, it was a full underground system. Meeting up in car parks and anything you could do," Didier said.
"Once the Victorian government implemented a permit system for professional athletes, we then had guidelines to resume as a professional training complex. It didn't stop the police knocking on the door quite a few times, but all our ducks were in a row.
"We were able to train almost as per usual, just with limited bodies because we didn't have as many people coming to the sparring sessions. It was just the core group.
"If anything, I think it brings everyone closer together. That kind of adversity, after the couple of years I've had, a few more lockdowns weren't going to kill me.
"It's good that the lockdowns have ended so everything can get back to normality. We were training, we had permits but it was all very underground training for a few months there when only the pros could train.
"Now obviously we've got everyone back on board and we're plugging away as opposed to just trying to do every little thing we could during lockdowns, tiptoeing around and making sure our permits were in line. Now I'm focused on training and focused on the task at hand."
Didier hails the emergence of Endouro as a turning point for the sport in Canberra.
There was a time an MMA fighter in the capital would be forced interstate to chase bouts. If they managed to snare one in Canberra, so often they would find themselves in a ring as opposed to a cage.
But the Ben Edwards and Mick Douros-led promotion changes all of that, and in the main event they have found a local derby, the perfect showman, and a fitting master and apprentice storyline to match.
"I wasn't going to let them run a cage show without me. If they thought they were going to run an MMA show without me coming in, they were going to be in for a rude shock," Didier grinned.
"If the opportunity came up to fight in Canberra, I'd obviously jump at it. I wasn't sure I would be able to fight in Canberra again, and when this came up, I was pleasantly surprised.
"For me to be able to main event, it's really good, hopefully we can get a lot of people through the door, get a lot of eyes on it, and hopefully build a promotion that's around for a long time."
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