Andrei Arlovski's surprise return to the UFC at UFC 174 in Vancouver gives us a reason to look at some of the big returns to the fold for various fighters over the years. MMA is a brutal sport, to be sure, and it's a cutthroat business, where you're only as good as your last win. It's also a sport full of second, and third, chances. Arlovski is coming back. Former middleweight title challenger and Anderson Silva victim Patrick Cote has come back. The UFC is more or less a revolving door of talent - but sometimes, second (and third) runs are successful - in the ring, at the box office, or on rare occasion, both. Lets take a look at the top 10 UFC returns!
10. Todd Duffee
Todd Duffee was a highly touted heavyweight prospect in the UFC in 2009, scoring what remains tied for the fasted knockout in UFC history over Tim Hague - 7 seconds (Ryan Jimmo tied that mark several years later, starching Anthony Perosh). However, in his next fight, Duffee fell to part-time fighter, full-time cop Mike Russow. Leading up to the fight, Duffee had spoken about being overhyped, and afterwards, despite being linked to other matchups, Duffee was eventually released in a rather surprising move given his 1-1 record in the company. Rumours circulated that the issue stemmed from Duffee wanting the UFC to cover the costs of knee surgery, and he went on record publicly in regards to fighter pay (something that remains an issue to this day). Duffee fought just once outside the UFC, losing to Alistar Overeem (that was horsemeat era Overeem), in Dream, and signed on for SFL (Super Fight League) only to have his debut fight bounce around to the point that he and the SFL came to an amicable departure. He was then picked up by the UFC in, again, a rather surprising move, however the company needed a last minute replacement for Matt Mitrione. He made the most of the comeback, earning a Knockout of the Night aware in the first round over Phil De Fries at UFC 155 in December 2012 - however health issues have prevented him from returning to the cage since.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
