In a new interview with Fight Opinion, Duffee recently shared the following sentiments: “…Obviously, I’m extremely disappointed. I feel like I’m a much more talented fighter than I got the chance to show… I wasn’t prepared… I think I trained seven days for this fight and it definitely showed… It was a great opportunity to fight in Japan. It’s been a dream of mine… There’s no regrets, you know. It happened. You just got to move past it and I’ll definitely be back.”

I was one of the many that boldly predicted that Todd Duffee basically stood no chance against Alistair Overeem, who defended his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship, won the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship, and with the win over Duffee, won the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Championship all within one calendar year. There seemed to be no stopping Overeem, who basically shrugged off Duffee’s blows as if they were nothing. I think Duffee is still very much a work-in-progress fighter, and to be perfectly honest, Overeem was so many leagues above him that it’s not even funny.

In regards to Duffee himself, I think he’s simply another victim of the persistent problem that plague all gigantic muscle-bound Heavyweight fighters: the dreaded cardio monster. Only the best Heavyweights know how to pack on the muscles while simultaneously not gassing horrendously once the fight gets out of the second round. And other than the three-round loss that got him kicked out of the UFC, Duffee’s only been past the first round one other time in his career, and that fight lasted only a minute into Round 2.

In a way, I’m actually a bit sympathetic to Todd Duffee. A lot of people are quick to point out that he’s a victim of his own hype. The cynics believe that he should have gotten right back into the Octagon after KO’ing Tim Hague in seven seconds rather than what he did do, which (if you believe the rumors) was stall out contract negotiations for almost a year in order to chase bigger paydays and more meaningful opponents, all while “hiding” under the guise of dealing with some injuries. Even the always-controversial UFC President Dana White stated that Duffee had an attitude problem.

Well, that all may be true, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that Duffee has an amazing amount of potential and can very well turn it all around given the right team and the right motivation. Duffee has only been fighting for three years, and he’s only twenty-five years old. He’s young and inexperienced, he may be a bit brash, he may even have let the hype and the fame get to his head… but the potential is there.

I think 2011 will prove once and for all what the future holds for Todd Duffee. Everyone knew Overeem would beat him, so I really can’t hold that loss against him. If Duffee excels in the underground circuit and gets back to his winning ways, we may see Duffee back in a major MMA promotion before the year is through. His future can still be quite bright, so long as he finally gets around to fully taking control of it.

And what about you, fans and friends? Are you hopeful or disinterested in Todd Duffee’s chances in 2011?

A big sticking point for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Champion was to fight for the vacant DREAM heavyweight title, should he fight at the promotion’s year-end show.

Overeem will in fact vie for the organization’s heavyweight strap, albeit in interim form when he takes on former UFC star and rising prospect Todd Duffee tonight at the Super Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Both “The Demolition Man” and Duffee made weight for their heavyweight contest, as well as all other competitors for tonight’s epic card.

Here are the entire weigh-in results in their entirity as produced by MMAJunkie.com:

* Champ Bibiano Fernandes (62.7kg/138.2lb) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (62.9kg/ 138.7lb)
* Tatsuya Kawajiri (70kg/154.3lb) vs. Josh Thomson (70kg/154.3lb)
* Jason High (75.6kg/166.7lb) vs. Hayato Sakurai (76kg/167.6lb)
* Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura (62.8kg/138.5lb) vs. Tetsuya Yamato (63kg/138.9lb)@
* Champ Marius Zaromskis (75.7kg/166.9lb) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (76kg/167.6lb)
* Satoshi Ishii (105.7kg/233lb) vs. Jerome Le Banner (120kg/264.6lb)
* Alistair Overeem (118kg/260.1lb) vs. Todd Duffee (113kg/249.1lb)
* Shinya Aoki (70kg/154.3lb) vs. Yuichiro Nagashim (70kg/154.3lb)+
* Kyotaro Fujimoto (104kg/229.3lb) vs. Gegard Mousasi (97kg/213.8lb)@
* Sergei Kharitonov (n/a) vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (100kg/220.5lb)
* Hiroshi Izumi (101kg/222.7lb) vs. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (87.5kg/192.9 lb)
* Hideo Tokoro (63kg/138.9lb) vs. Kazuhisa Watanabe (63kg/138.9lb)
* Kazuyuki Miyata (64.8kg/142.9lb) vs. Caol Uno (65kg/143.3lb)
* Katsuaki Furuki (76.5kg/168.6lb) vs. Andy Ologun (75kg/165.3lb)
* Bob Sapp (n/a) vs. Shinichi Suzukawa (n/a)^

Gegard Mousasi, DREAM’s light heavyweight champion will be competing against K-1 heavyweight champion Kyotaro Fujimoto in a kickboxing match held under K-1 rules. This will mark the second time that Mousasi has competed in the kickboxing on a Dynamite!! show. His first appearance was in 2008, when Gegard defeated veteran Musashi (no relation) in a savage first-round knockout victory. The result was considered a major upset and should the Armenian defeat Kyotaro, the promotions champion, he should consider a career in the K-1 realm, much like Overeem.

Additionally, Bob Sapp and Shinichi Suzukawa are also featured in a special-rules contest, as both men will be competing with no gloves. Though traditional closed-fist strikes are not allowed for the open-weight meeting, palm strikes are allowed.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of tonight’s night of fights? If it wasn’t for the UFC overshadowing most MMA fans radar for the time being, Dynamite!! 2010 is the card to watch for the year. Sound off in the comment section below.

After weeks of rumor and speculation, MMA Junkie reports that DREAM officials have announced that Alistair Overeem will indeed be taking on former UFC fighter Todd Duffee at “DYNAMITE!! 2010”. Contrary to previous reports, the officials did not announce that the fight would be for a proposed DREAM Heavyweight Championship. Todd Duffee, who went 1-1 in the UFC and put himself in the history books both times, will face by far the biggest threat of his career when he tangles with “The Reem”.

What an interesting journey it’s been for Todd Duffee. Duffee debuted at UFC 102 against Tim Hague… and then proceeded to knock him out in seven seconds. With that KO, Duffee officially holds the record for the fastest KO in UFC history, and loudly proclaimed that he was looking for top competition after KO’ing Hague. What followed was a prolonged period of contract negotiations that ultimately resulted in a match-up with Mike Russow almost a year later. Russow would go on to KO Duffee in one of the most dramatic comebacks ever witnessed in an MMA fight. Shortly after losing to Russow, Duffee was releasd from his UFC contract.

In regards to this particular fight, my feet are so firmly planted in Alistair’s camp for this bout that I’m basically digging myself into the ground. I absolutely do not believe that Todd Duffee has any chance of beating Overeem. If it happens, it’d have to be by some kind of miracle flurry that lands square on Overeem’s chin. That’s the only hope I think Duffee has, and it’s a remote one at best.

I really can’t give enough praise to Alistair Overeem, even though I think he needs to get his muscular behemoth self back into Strikeforce and fighting the best competition the non-UFC world has to offer. I don’t see anyone outside of Strikeforce’s best being able to break the incredible hotstreak Overeem has been on for years. He threw the gargantuan Brett Rogers around like a child, he most recently beat three men in one night, he’s a champion in MMA and a champion in kickboxing. Todd Duffee looks to be little more than a small roadblock that’s going to get run over and completely obliterated.

Now that this fight has been confirmed, I suppose I’ll have to live with it. As I said in the past: when it comes to Alistair Overeem, it’s “Strikeforce or bust” for me. I don’t think Overeem gains anything by taking or even winning this fight, and no matter how slim of a chance Duffee has, I can only imagine what kind of damage it would do to Overeem’s career and standing in the Heavyweight rankings if Duffee ended up beating him. I’m supremely confident in Overeem, though, and I’ll watch this fight simply because I like watching Overeem fight no matter who he’s fighting. Just don’t blink when you watch this one, fans and friends, because Overeem is most likely going to eat Duffee alive.

But of course, that’s my opinion. What about you? What are your thoughts on Duffee/Overeem now that it’s been confirmed?

The two parties have been in negotiation’s recently sinced a proposed fight pitting Overeem and former WWE star turned mixed martial artist: Bobby Lashley, had failed to materialize due to monetary expectations, or in his case a lack thereof.

Dynamite!! 2010 takes place on Dec. 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Alistair had expressed on several occasions that should he compete at the year-end show, he intended it to be for the promotion’s vacant heavyweight title. Overeem will now return to action just a little under 3-weeks removed from his kickboxing tournament victory as “The Demolition Man” claimed another title as the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Champion. Alistair is now in a field all of his own, as he has become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two different sports: mixed martial arts and kickboxing, both for prestigious organizations in K-1 and Strikeforce.

Todd Duffee, now doesn’t share the same sort of accolades that Mr. Overeem does. The American Top Team product has recently been released from the UFC following an embarrassing knockout loss to veteran Mike Russow at UFC 114 last May. Duffee dominated the fight through the first and second rounds, even having dropped Russow early with a barrage of punches. In the third round, and just a few minutes away from a clear cut decision win, Todd was knocked out with a two successive right hands from Mike, who later claimed the “Knockout of the Night” award. Prior to his defeat, Todd set the UFC record for fastest knockout when he dispatched of Canadian Tim Hague in his octagon debut at UFC 102, which took all of seven seconds of cage time.

MMAFighting.com first reported the validity of the match up, which should still be for the promotion’s heavyweight title, though it was not indicated in the report.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? I think a Bobby Lashley vs. Alistair Overeem would have made a wee-bit of more sense as far as mixed martial arts superiority goes, but who’s to say. Duffee vs. Overeem will still be a sight to see. Sound off in the comment section below.

We head to Sherdog for some insight into a possible match-up that would see Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem take on Todd Duffee, the man who rolled into the UFC and into the public consciousness with the fastest official KO in UFC history, only to take his sweet time finding his next opponent and ultimately lose out to the seemingly-overmatched Mike Russow. According to the report, Overeem vs. Duffee has a “fifty-fifty” chance of actually happening. However, it was confirmed that Overeem would be competing at the event no matter who his opponent ends up being.

I hate to sound like a broken record here, fans and friends, but once more I feel I have to echo these sentiments: this is a rumor I honestly hope doesn’t happen, because I think this opponent hasn’t done anything to earn a shot at Overeem and has virtually no hope against the man. Todd Duffee is one of the clearest examples in recent MMA history of a fighter being all hype and little-to-no substance. There’s a lot of raw potential in all that Herculean muscle, but it’s clearly going to take a lot of time and effort spent honing it before it ever really pays dividends.

Overeem, however, is one of the rarest specimens in MMA: he’s a hulking behemoth with as many skills as he has muscles. The man just beat three guys in one night in the most competitive, prestigious kickboxing organization in the world. He hasn’t lost in his last nine MMA fights. I’m not just sitting in Overeem’s bandwagon, I’m blowing the horn and leading the charge. And I honestly have every reason to: Overeem is an absolute monster both in the ring and the cage, both in K-1 and MMA, so I don’t see any reason not to become a super-fan of the man.

So, I know the next logical question is: if not Duffee, if not Lashley… then who? In all honesty, fans and friends… I really don’t think I’d be satisfied with anyone DREAM throws at Overeem, because I know that they’d basically all be cannon fodder. Call me crazy, call me greedy, but I want to see Overeem tackle some of the best Heavyweights in the world, because I know he can beat them, rather than just make a quick appearance in DREAM for an easy fight and a fast paycheck. I’ve been a fan of Overeem for a while, but now that he’s fulfilled his dream and is a K-1 champion, it’s “Strikeforce or bust” from here on out.

And what about you, fans and friends? Would you be interested in Alistair Overeem vs. Todd Duffee?

Josh Gross, the ESPN reporter that famously misquoted Todd Duffee’s manager when he reported that the man called Duffee an “ass” rather than an “asset”, recently took to Twitter to report that Duffee had been approached by both Strikeforce and Bellator FC to fill a spot on their roster. In fact, Strikeforce wanted Duffee to fill in for an injured Valentijn Overeem and take on Antonio Silva in a high-profile Heavyweight showdown at the upcoming December 4 Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2” event. Duffee declined both offers and remains one of the hotter free agents on the market.

We head to MMA Fighting next, which brings words that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is not interested in signing the recently-released Gerald Harris, who was controversially let go by the UFC after a loss to Maiquel Falcao despite winning three straight fights beforehand, all of them by some form of dramatic stoppage. Here’s what the soft-spoken CEO had to say on the matter: “[Gerald Harris] is a tremendous athlete (who) has a ton of potential… The only thing right now is we are really committed to the fighters we have under contract now… That doesn’t mean we can’t revisit with him, but for right now, I would say that I want to take care of the roster we currently have.”

I’ve been somewhat critical of Todd Duffee in the past, but to be perfectly honest I think the man is justified in not taking a fight with Antonio Silva on such short notice. Duffee needs to make his promotional debut count, no matter what promotion he ultimately signs with. While he would have immediately made a splash in Strikeforce by fighting Antonio Silva, who’s being built up as the next big threat at Heavyweight, he also more than likely would have lost that fight. With enough time to prepare I think Todd Duffee may have stood a chance against “Bigfoot”, but on such short notice? Silva would’ve eaten him alive. While Duffee has made some mistakes in the past, I think it’s mighty big of him to admit that he’s not ready for Antonio Silva unless he has the right amount of time to train.

In regards to Gerald Harris, I can understand why Strikeforce chose not to sign him. I just happen to disagree. I think Strikeforce could have made a lot of waves if they had snatched up Gerald Harris and he ended up taking the division by storm. With absolutely no disrespect meant to the talented fighters competing in the division, the Middleweight division is honestly one of Strikeforce’s weakest. The addition of Gerald Harris would have given the division an immediate boost, and we as fight fans would have been practically guaranteed some great fights. I think Gerald Harris has it in him to be a champion a lot sooner than most people think… it’s too bad the two biggest promotions in the world don’t seem to agree with me.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your take on Todd Duffee not signing with Strikeforce, as well as Strikeforce not going after Gerald Harris?

Bleacher Report gives us a nice little synopsis of this particular mini-scandal: earlier this week, on a broadcast of ESPN’s “MMA Live”, it was reported that Matt Brown had been cut from the UFC after losing three straight fights, all of them by submission. According to famed internet journalist Ariel Helwani, however, that is not the case. Helwani recently took to Twitter to announce that Brown will in fact remain employed with the UFC, citing the UFC itself as his source.

This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that false MMA news has hit the net and made its rounds before getting corrected. Just a short while ago, it was reported that old-school UFC veteran Kimo Leopoldo had in fact died, with multiple websites picking up the story, only for it to be revealed by Leopoldo himself that he was still quite among the living. Even more recently, a report surfaced shortly after the UFC’s release of Todd Duffee that saw Duffee’s manager call the man an “ass”. It turns out he was misquoted and actually called his fighter an “asset”.

But in all honesty, I think the reason so many websites jumped the gun and picked up on this story is because it sounds so plausible. The UFC has been growing increasingly more competitive on a per-event basis, to the point where I’ve said time and time again that no contract is safe and that no one is immune to the UFC’s pink slip. I’ve even wondered aloud if the UFC is approaching a point where they begin putting too much pressure on their fighters with their super-competitive nature. In the case of Matt Brown, however, I really don’t think you can make any sort of case at all.

Three straight submission losses. That’s just not good, not good at all. They were entertaining fights, and Brown had won three straight before this losing streak, but still… he’s 0-3 in three attempts and hasn’t recorded a win in over a calendar year. Brown is already 4-4 in the UFC since debuting in 2008, but if Matt Brown loses his next fight, he will have officially lost as many fights as he’s won in his entire career as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

I’m not trying to be heartless and without sympathy, but the fact of the matter is that releasing Matt Brown makes a lot more sense than releasing someone like Todd Duffee, or Efrain Escudero, or the recently-released Gerald Harris. The UFC can’t keep mixing up its precedents: either you can stay employed even if you lose so long as you put on entertaining performances, or a loss is a loss is a loss and you have to win and win dominantly time and time again in order to remain gainfully employed. They shouldn’t be able to have it both ways, because right now, this double standard reeks of favoritism and unfairness.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Matt Brown’s situation?

After debuting with the organization in August of 2009, where the juggernaut heavyweight star recorded the fastest knockout in the promotion’s history after dispatching veteran Tim Hague in just 7 seconds at ufc 102, things would not go as swimmingly for the Xtreme Couture product.

Todd next faced PRIDE veteran Mike Russow at UFC 114 in August of this year. Duffee spent a year away from the cage after a debilitating back injury before returning to the octagon to face Russow, but looked like every bit of the phenom that he was billed to be in the early goings of the fight. After dropping Mike early in the first round, it looked like it was just a matter of time before Russow would fall, after Duffee was able to land many telling blows all throughout the bout. Then, out of nowhere, Mike connected on a right hand in the middle of the third-round. Another right hand from Russow signaled the end out of the bout and eventually the end of Duffee’s UFC career.

After his first loss in his professional career as a mixed martial artist, Todd had a lot on his plate. He had a proposed match up with fellow heavyweight prospect Jon Madsen at UFC 121, however a lingering knee injury kept him from signing on the dotted line. A movie project in 2010 would also keep out of action for most of 2010, and after a falling out with the UFC after some back-and-forth in the media between Duffee and Dana, it’s safe to say that Todd isn’t on the best of grounds with the promotion. And the following certainly doesn’t help.

“Todd just finished with the movie, he’s rehabbing his knee, and he should be fighting at the end of the year,” Duffee’s manager Alex Davis MMAWeekly.com. “Not at liberty to say where, I don’t even know yet, but he’ll be back in the mix at the end of this year, very beginning of next year.

“We’re going to see what makes sense for him. Strikeforce would make sense for him, but we still don’t know how their heavyweight division is going to play out.”

“I think Todd at some point will be back in the UFC,” said Davis. “I think that’s what he wants.”

If you are want to re-join the UFC roster, certainly joining Strikeforce just after being released from the world’s largest organization is probably not the best way to go about it.

But, Duffee would make an interesting roster to the Strikeforce heavyweight division should he find his mark in the promotion.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Is the 24-year-old perhaps being too hasty in joining up with Strikeforce if he ever wishes to return to the UFC? Sound off in the comment section below.

The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States.

While some categories have changed, in order to be politically correct, must stay the same. Voting continues until November 26, where till then you can cast your votes online at All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast through Nov. 26 at www.worldmmaawards.com.

The full list, which was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, of finalists includes:

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva
* Brock Lesnar
* Frankie Edgar
* Jose Aldo
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
* Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 116
* Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 14

KO OF THE YEAR

* Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki at WEC 45
* Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
* Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee at UFC 114
* Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 115

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

* Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon at UFC 108
* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 118
* Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”

BEST PROMOTION

* Bellator
* DREAM
* Strikeforce
* UFC
* WEC

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR

* Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
* Dana White, UFC president
* Joe Silva, UFC VP of talent relations
* Michael Schiavello, HDNet broadcaster
* Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Alistair Overeem
* Dan Hardy
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Shinya Aoki

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Charles Oliveira
* Evan Dunham
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Jon Jones

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
* Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii
* Miesha Tate
* Sarah Kaufman
* Zoila Frausto

COACH OF THE YEAR

* Cesar Gracie
* Firas Zahabi
* Greg Jackson
* Rafael Cordeiro
* Shawn Tompkins

GYM OF THE YEAR

* American Kickboxing Academy
* American Top Team
* Black House MMA
* Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting
* Wand Fight Team

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR

* Arianny Celeste
* Brittney Palmer
* Chandella Powell
* Natalie Skyy
* Rachelle Leah

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND

* Affliction
* Fight Chix
* RVCA
* Silverstar
* TapouT

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

* “Big” John McCarthy
* Dan Miragliotta
* Herb Dean
* Josh Rosenthal
* Mario Yamasaki

MOST MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE

* Anderson Silva
* Clay Guida
* Jason “Mayhem” Miller
* Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
* Tom Lawlor

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND

* Everlast MMA
* Fairtex
* Hayabusa
* TapouT
* Venum

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND

* Bad Boy
* Hayabusa
* Jaco
* TapouT
* Venum

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR

* “Inside MMA” on HDNet
* MMAjunkie.com
* MMAWeekly.com
* MMAFighting.com
* Sherdog.com

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

* Aaron “Tru” Teweles, Freelance
* Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
* Conner Cordova, MMAReligion.com
* Gareth A. Davies, Telegraph.com
* John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? Anyone you would have liked to seen in some of these categories? Who do you think will take home some of the honors of the night? Sound off in the comments section below.

The heavyweight star made waves right away in the division when his much anticipated octagon debut met and exceeded all expectations, when the 24-year-old knocked out veteran Tim Hague in just 7 seconds at UFC 102 in August of last year.

Sidelined due to injury, Duffee returned 9 months later and was thoroughly dominating PRIDE veteran Mike Russow for two and a half rounds. Then, out of nowhere, the body builder was put down by the body spiller, when a vicious right hand connected for Russow, another one followed and Duffee was out cold.

Now this wouldn’t be enough reason to release a previously undefeated heavyweight prospect with the kind of buzz that surrounded Todd, but if you read you might see why he got his UFC walking papers.

His meteoric rise to the top made him an overnight success in the UFC, after recording the fastest knockout in the company’s history, sky looked like it was the limit for Duffee before the bandwagon was derailed by Russow. However, even after the bout–which Duffee left from relatively unscathed, Todd was geared up and ready to go for a second time around. However, what ensued following the loss to Russow was a young-minded Duffee digging himself into a bigger grave over and over again, according to Travis of MMA Scraps Radio.

“Original fight (before Russow) was McSweeny but Duffee turned it down for a “bigger named opponent” He fights and losses, but that isn’t that big of a deal (it ends up being the way UFC can release him, but whatever) He accepts fight with Madsen, but then pulls out after mentioning that he needed time to do a movie. Apparently after that, he then said he was injured. UFC asked for paperwork from his doctor and it was sent, so he was covered there. He was given the go ahead to do the movie He tweeted some stuff about being broke and made comments about needing money. The final straw was when he talked a bunch of crap about the UFC to one of the UFC employee’s wives and Dana found out about it. That sealed the deal. Dana ordered him fired.”

If that wasn’t reason enough for the Zuffa company to serve Duffee notice and hand him his pink slips, then I don’t know what is.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of this excerpt? Was his release valid in the long run? Should the UFC had held on to Duffee? Will he make an inevitable return? Sound off in the comments section below. Thanks to MiddleEasy.com for the find.

“[Efrain Escudero] comes in overweight, I think that he got comfortable, and I just don’t think that Efrain has gone after it since winning ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. I think he needs to go fight in the minor leagues and work his way back up here… [In regards to Todd Duffee,] I don’t like Duffee’s attitude. I don’t like some of the things he’s said or done. He made it seem to me like he doesn’t want to be in the UFC. Like being here didn’t matter to him and he didn’t like it. You don’t want to be in the UFC, brother? O.k.… Being in the UFC is a very big thing for a fighter. And some guys get it and appreciate it, and some guys don’t. And the guys that don’t, I don’t have time for, and you won’t be around for long.”

I agree with Dana White on both counts, even though I’m hopeful for both men’s futures. Escudero was a media darling for all the right reasons: he was a proud Mexican-born American, a gifted fighter, and a hard worker. But for someone so young (“Hecho in Mexico” is 24) to become the subject of so much attention so quickly? It’s hard to not let that get to your head. Anyone can be bitten by The Fame Monster, and it really did look like Escudero was coasting in his last several fights.

In regards to Todd Duffee, his firing was obviously also tied to performance and attitude issues. Duffee suffered a huge loss and had his hype train completely derailed when Mike Russow KO’d him in one of the most dramatic comebacks in UFC history. Like Escudero, I think the fame got to Duffee when he became the record-holder for the fastest KO in UFC history. If his head really had gotten as big as Dana White says it has, then I too would have probably fired him after he lost in such a big way.

But like I said, I think the future is still bright for both men. I think Escudero will fit right in with Bellator or Strikeforce. Escudero still has a lot of market value, and hopefully this firing gives him the attitude adjustment he apparently needs. If Escudero doesn’t allow his ego to re-inflate, if he gets that fire back, I can see him going on a great run in the lower-to-mid-level promotions and getting another chance in the UFC.

The same goes for Todd Duffee. For Duffee, it’s all about realizing his limitations and working to improve them. He looks like he was carved out of marble and has a great physique, and is a good attraction in an era that is seeing increasing emphasis on ridiculously-conditioned athletes. But Duffee’s cardio is not the same as the UFC Heavyweight Champion’s, Brock Lesnar. Duffee is not apparently immune to the problems the jacked-up behemoth must face when he trades staying power for stopping power. Junior Dos Santos is a wrecking machine and he doesn’t look like Mr. Olympia. Duffee needs to focus on his training and adopt a “substance over style” approach. If he does, I think he could one day be welcomed back into the UFC with open arms.

Trust me, we haven’t seen the last of these two. There are some very talented fighters buried in there just waiting to come out, and I think this time away from the UFC will do just that. But ultimately, I agree with Dana White and firmly believe that he was justified in showing both Efrain Escudero and Todd Duffee the door.

But what about you, fans and friends? Now that White himself has commented, what do you think about his reasons for letting these two possible stars go?

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?

While “The Goliath” Neil Grove was already impressive in his debut, when he dispatched of UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez inside of the first round in their bout at Bellator 24, some new challengers have emerged from Bellator 25, which was held just last night, on August 19.

Neil Grove was the first quarter finalist, but now Cole Konrad and Poland’s own Damian Grabowski will join.

Konrad, since his inception into Bellator, has been nothing but dominant in his three outings thus far. Dominant, yet incredibly predictable. It’s frustrating when you see a fighter use the same game plan so effectively through and through, and while his wrestling credentials out weigh most in the sport of mixed martial arts, is it really something to “fear”? Well, apparently so. After opening up his career with two stoppages, Conrad has gone on to string together three wins, all by way of unanimous decision. Each opponent he’s faced was not able to shutdown the onslaught of take downs that the former Pan American Gold Medalist would distribute. While still young in the sport, he’s picking up new tools everyday with trainer Brock Lesnar, and it may be just a matter of time before we see the collegiate wrestling standout break out of his shell and excite the fans–though I may have just jinxed us all, by saying it aloud.

Grabowski, meanwhile, can probably learn a thing or two from Konrad–conditioning is your friend, and when your on the ground, do something. The native of Poland was though, for all purposes, competitive in his own three-round affair with fellow big man Scott Barret.

The close in some moments, the decision seemed to be a clear cut case for the American, Scott, who was able to take the action to the floor on several occasions. Grabowski didn’t really have an answer for the take down in the early goings of the fight, at least in the first two rounds. However, Damian kept his composure and poured it on in the end, landing heavy low kicks to his obviously fatigued opponent, who was cornered by UFC heavyweight Todd Duffee. The leg kicks proved ineffective, as Scott continued to move forward, un-phased by anything the Poland threw at him–uppercuts, hooks, straights, jabs…nothing proved effective.

But, in the end, Damian won the fight, and advanced one step closer in the heavyweight tournament.

So now Damian, Conrad and Neil advance–though all competitors will wait on the wings until competitors Mike Hayes and Alexey Oleinik duel it out to determine the final, quarter finalist, before match makers pair up the next 4 competitors.

So, who do you think will take the prize? And is Konrad a victim of his own success? Everybody loves a winner–but nobody loves a boring winner.

The night started with prelims thanks to Spike TV. “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (12-4) came into this fight against Efrain Escudero (8-1) after having a disagreement with his coaches and his brother, UFC fighter “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (18-5). They refused to travel with him to the fight because they felt he had not spent enough time in the gym and did not follow their plan correctly. This fight proved that the older brother knows best as Dany seemed to tire quickly in the fight. He was never able to score much and Efrain had his way the entire fight. What shocked me was Efrain not using his wrestling background more in the fight. While Efrain is a good prospect he will have to work on becoming more aggressive, looking for the finish and finding the balance between striking and wrestling.

Next up was Dong Hyun Kim (10-4-2) versus Amir Sadollah (3-2) in the final fight on Spike TV before the pay-per-view (PPV) started.

Kim used his solid wrestling base to take Amir down at will during this fight. The one thing that stood out was that while Amir has improved his striking, you can’t do much of that if you can’t stop takedowns. I was shocked at the number of people on Twitter stating that they thought Amir would now get cut from the UFC. Since winning “The Ultimate Fighter” season seven he has gone 2-2 in the UFC and was coming off of back-to-back wins before running into the takedown machine named Dong Hyun Kim. That does merit a cut from the organization and one has to remember he is the face of “Inside the Octagon” on Spike TV. Amir will need to go back to work and spend a ton of time with high quality wrestlers in order to succeed in the UFC. I look for Joe Silva to allow him to do just that and his next fight will probably be against a striker.

Kim, while impressive with his takedowns and top control, never seemed to go for the finish in the fight except when he had the neck tie position. This position is rarely seen in MMA and I have to give credit to Amir for fighting through it. I am looking forward to seeing what UFC matchmaker Joe Silva does with Kim after this win.

The first fight on the PPV was the first fight back inside the Octagon for “The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-4) after his lopsided loss to then UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” B.J.  (15-6-1). He decided after that loss to move back up to 170 and last night against “Hitman” John Hathaway (12-0) it was apparent that the move was a bad decision. He was simply outclassed by the young Hathaway. I stated in this article that Diego is not an elite fighter and this is further proof of that. His best bet would have been to stay at lightweight and work to get back to the title just like “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (13-4) did after being defeated in his title shot. Diego will continue to have a home in the UFC, as a stepping stone.

Hathaway however is the complete opposite from Diego. A prospect that at 22 has nowhere to go but up after a win over “The Ultimate Fighter” season one winner. He did much better than many expected him to in this fight. He showed excellent takedown defense which he will need as he wades into the deep end of the division. I will enjoy watching the young man develop over the years.

Six weeks ago Forrest Griffin (17-6) had to pull out of his fight that was scheduled for UFC 114. The UFC replaced him with “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-3-1). Many thought that his opponent “Lil Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) would walk right through Brilz. Brilz shocked the MMA world by not only going all three rounds with Nogueira but actually dominating him at times during the fight. This fight ended up being a split decision win for Nogueira which brought boos from the crowd and talks of bad judges from those on Twitter.

This was a close fight with Lil Nog controlling the stand up in the first round. The second was a battle of position with Lil Nog using amazing sweeps off his back and both fighters working for guillotines. Brilz sunk in a very deep choke that many would have tapped out to but Lil Nog is a black belt in jiu jitsu and showed great poise in the position.

No matter the outcome, Jason Brilz was the winner in this fight. He gained respect from many in the MMA community and garner quite a few new fans as shown by the massive increase in followers on his Twitter account. Noguiera will continue to rise through the division and Brilz will follow closely behind him. I hope the UFC and Joe Silva decide to put these two back inside the Octagon together sometime in the future.

The hype surrounding Todd Duffee (5-1) was not unwarranted contrary to what you may have heard. Yes, Todd was viciously knocked out in the third round by his opponent Mike Russow (13-1) who is the complete opposite of Duffee in the physique department. This does not mean he is a bad fighter or that the high praise was not deserving. His first fight inside the Octagon was a seven second knock out and he almost repeated that performance by rocking Mike early in the first. Russow was being dominated until the third round. Todd was able to stop any takedown attempts, push away from the clinch and landed strikes at will on the very durable chin of Russow. Then as writers all across the country were starting to pen their pieces on another Duffee win inside the Octagon, Russow stunned the world by catching Todd with a right hand that had put him out cold.

I have my doubts about Russow making it very far in the division. He carries around a lot of unnecessary weight and may be better off trying to work a new conditioning program. His striking was bad until that right hand and he never could get the fight to the mat where he wanted it.

Todd will learn from this mistake and grow as a fighter. He is only 24 and has much to learn and will need to work cardio as well. He seemed to burn out and lose a lot of steam in the middle of the second round. He will need all the cardio he can muster if he plans on making a major push to the top of the UFC heavyweight division.

What can I say about “The Count” Michael Bisping (19-3) and his win over tough Dan Miller (11-4)? Miller looked lost from the start of the round and I have to wonder about his decision to not look for takedowns earlier in the fight. Bisping was the better striker and is great at beating mid-level fighters. I am still not sure he has what it takes to beat the best in the division. Sadly to all the Bisping fans out there, I see him as a gatekeeper in the division. Only time will tell if I am wrong.

There of course is the main event but that will have to wait for another article. After the fights were over I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I was let down for some reason and I am not really sure why. In a night that had a clear favorite being pushed and one being beaten, a knock out by a guy who was never in the fight and the “most anticipated grudge match in UFC history” one would think I would have been excited afterward but that was not the case.

UFC 114 let me down and that is the Monday Gospel. What did you think of UFC 114 overall?

Make sure to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mmagospel where I tweet live during the fights.

Buentello TKO’d “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (6-3) when the cageside doctor ended their fight at Affliction in Anaheim January 24.  Versus Duffee will be Buentello’s first fight in the Octagon since TKOing “El Peligro” Gilbert Aldana (6-2) at UFC 57 in Las Vegas in February 2006.

Duffee KO’d “Thrashing Machine” Tim Hague (8-2) in seven seconds at UFC 102 in Portland August 29, breaking the UFC record for fastest KO.