The Hype Train Derailed: UFC Releases Record-Setting Todd Duffee

The ufc is easily the most competitive pro MMA organization on the planet. Those that don’t measure up are quickly disposed of, no matter what their accolades were in the past. Keith Jardine was a fan-favorite veteran of over a dozen UFC fights and still got the axe. Kimbo Slice helped bring in some of the biggest ratings in the history of the “Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show, and he quickly received his pink slip after going 1-1 in the organization. And according to MMAJunkie.com, you can now add Todd Duffee, who holds the record for the quickest KO in UFC history, to the growing list of UFC exiles.

What a difference a bad performance can make. Duffee seemed on track to becoming the next breakout Heavyweight star. He was tall, he was handsome, and he looked to be carved out of stone. He was a massive man in a weight division that has been seeing an influx of truly gargantuan Heavyweight stars.  But most importantly, Todd Duffee seemed to have real fighting skill, since it took him seven seconds to drop Tim Hague down to the canvas. After claiming in the post-fight interview that his fight with Hague was only an appetizer, Duffee seemed well on his way to star status.

But Mike Russow had other ideas. Russow, who was mocked by UFC announcer Joe Rogan as a “before-and-after picture” in comparison to Todd Duffee, met Duffee at UFC 114 and proceeded to eat shot after shot without going down. Duffee kept firing salvo after salvo, scoring points and winning rounds, but not finishing his foe. The non-stop barrages ultimately tired Duffee out, allowing Russow to land a crushing right hand that KO’d Duffee in what many would consider one of the most dramatic comebacks in UFC history.

It is currently not known where Duffee will choose to spend the next phase of his career. Personally? My money is on Strikeforce. They need some good Heavyweights, and despite the KO loss, I still think Todd Duffee is a good Heavyweight, with the possibility of becoming great. He’s six and one with six (T)KO’s, after all. I say put him against Chad Griggs, maybe. Or perhaps Shane del Rosario. Don’t throw him into the shark tank, but don’t go easy on him either.

I say this because I think Todd Duffee can still become a star. He has all the tools necessary, some of them just needing some honing. His punching power is good, his striking is good, but that cardio of his needs a whole lot of work. If Duffee can find a way to get out of the trap that so many of his fellow super-Hulk Heavyweights fall into (not being able to go past the first round without gassing out), then I think he could bring in big money in the future.

And if we’re being completely honest? I think the UFC jumped the gun in letting Duffee go. He generated a lot of interest when he burst onto the scene with his record-setting KO. He generated a lot of interest when he got KO’d in one of the most epic come-from-behind victories I’ve ever seen. I honestly believe he would’ve generated a lot of interest if he had been given a shot at redeeming himself. Duffee lost a lot of his luster when his cardio fell through and he got KO’d, but a fighter’s quest for redemption always makes for entertaining television.

I can’t say I ever considered myself a fan, but I can certainly empathize with Todd Duffee. He’s still got a long career ahead of him, and if he works on his flaws I can quite easily picture him being offered a second change in the UFC. Now is the time to prove what he’s made of, and I look forward to seeing how Duffee bounces back from this situation.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you agree with Duffee getting the boot so soon? And where do you think he’ll end up now that he’s a free agent?