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In a curious move, the UFC has decided to cut 24 year old heavyweight Todd Duffee according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
Duffee made a huge impact in his UFC debut, knocking out Tim Hague in seven seconds last summer. However, he was out of action due to injury until May of this year. Facing Mike Russow at UFC 114 in May, Duffee was in full control of the fight and well on his way to a unanimous decision victory when Russow knocked him out in the third round.
He was set to face off against Jon Madsen at UFC 121 in October, but a lingering knee injury forced him off the card and Gilbert Yvel stepped into his place. The MMAJunkie report states it's not known what Duffee's immediate plans are following this release.
Penick's Analysis: It can only be speculated at this point, but I really am not sure what the reasoning was behind this with Duffee going 1-1 in the organization. Despite some cardio issues in the Russow fight that led to the turnaround loss, Duffee remained a prospect in the organization with a chance to make an impact. The injury issue could have been a factor, as he's had to delay getting into the Octagon multiple times already. He was signed to the UFC early in 2009 but didn't make his debut until August, and then was out of action again until May. Since this latest injury was going to keep him out likely until 2011, perhaps it's a matter of him getting healthy and staying healthy for them to bring him back. I'm not sure. But we wish the best for Duffee in whatever his next move may be.
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