Duffee Returns at TFC 16 on Jan. 28

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After six months on the shelf, Todd Duffee will fight again, squaring off with “Ultimate Fighter 10” alum Abe Wagner at Titan Fighting Championships 16.

Andrew Simon, the president of HDNet Fights today told MMA Junkie radio that Duffee would compete on the card. The event, which airs on HDNet, goes down Jan. 28 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. Founded in 2006 and based out of Kansas City, Titan Fighting Championships has served as an early proving ground for fighters such as Jay Hieron, L.C. Davis and Alan Belcher.

Duffee is three months removed from his sudden and unexpected release from the UFC following a May loss to underdog Mike Russow at UFC 114. The Grudge Training Center product was let go and his desire to be a fighter was questioned openly by UFC president Dana White.

Though the official reason behind the 25-year-old's release is unknown, controversy surrounded a post Duffee made on The Underground forum, wherein he wrote he was looking for a weekend job and that he was tired of being broke. Duffee also suffered a knee injury that kept him from competing over the summer against Jon Madsen at UFC 121, but did not stop him from signing a contract to appear in the film “Never Back Down 2.” The hulking heavyweight disputes the UFC's account of the situation, claiming that he was up-front with the promotion regarding his knee injury and his movie role.

Prior to being knocked out by Russow, Duffee made a splash in the UFC. At UFC 102 last year, Duffee dropped Tim Hague with a hard left and finished the Canadian off just seven seconds into the fight. Officially, it stands as the fastest knockout in promotional history.

Wagner began his career in 2006 and holds half of his six career wins by knockout. He has fought the majority of his fights in Iowa's Victory Fighting Championship promotion. Though he's coming off a loss to UFC talent Travis Browne, Wagner has won three of his last four fights.