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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Todd Duffee made a gigantic splash in his UFC debut last August at UFC 102, knocking out Tim Hague in seven seconds. He's been out of action since then, sidelined with a back injury after what was officially the UFC's fastest knockout, but he's set to return this May, as a report from Caged-In.com states he has agreed to a bout with fellow one-fight UFC vet Mike Russow.
Russow, 33, is a 12-1 professional who moved his winning streak to eight fights at UFC 102 himself with a decision victory over Justin McCully. Russow is a police officer in Chicago, and is a submission specialist, earning eight of his twelve wins by submission. His sole loss came at the hands of Sergei Kharitonov at the Pride 33 event in 2007.
Duffee's victory over Hague moved his unbeaten record to 5-0. The 24 year old has only left the first round once in his career and is one of the more highly touted prospects the UFC's heavyweight division has seen in recent years.
UFC 114 is expected to take place on May 29th in Las Vegas, NV, headlined by the now long awaited grudge match between TUF 10 coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Penick's Analysis: This should be a great striker vs. grappler match-up, and it's a very exciting match up between some newer faces to the Octagon. Russow's been fighting for a few years and is a bit more than a prospect at this point, but Duffee's a beast and this is a big, big test for both fighters. Both of these guys have the very real chance to inject themselves into the top of this ever growing heavyweight division in the next few years, and it's going to be a blast to see what they can put together at this point in their respective careers in this Las Vegas bout.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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