Todd Duffee and the Dilemma of Bringing Prospects Along Slowly
by Nate Wilcox on May 19, 2010 5:48 PM EDT
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Michael David Smith talks to Todd Duffee who'll be fighting Mike Russow at UFC 114. MDS has some very interesting thoughts about the career progression of Duffee who's only 24:
Russow could be the first opponent to really test Duffee on the ground, and that makes this an interesting fight. But I firmly expect Duffee to win the fight, and win it in a way that has fans clamoring to see him again, see him again soon, and see him against even tougher opposition.
And therein lies the UFC's challenge in promoting Duffee: Promoters like to bring along talented prospects at the right pace, and not rush them into fights they're not ready for. That's why it's good for the UFC that Duffee is saying he thinks he's got a long way to go. It's a lot easier to have patience in bringing a prospect along if the prospect himself is willing to be patient.
But when a guy looks as impressive as Duffee does, fans want to see how he'll fare against the highest-quality opposition. I know I do, and I have a feeling we're all going to see Duffee in a lot of big fights against a lot of high-quality heavyweights, for several years to come.
Fans have been very impatient at the slow development track the UFC has given another hot young prospect, Jon Jones. While I've been impressed with Duffee thus far, I'm not quite ready to annoint him as a contender just yet.
I do admire Duffee's attitude. Any fighter his age who's able to say that he's among the "most overrated overhyped" fighters in the UFC has his head on straight. I'm also intrigued by his decision to leave American Top Team for Xtreme Couture.
Time will tell whether or not Todd Duffee is the next Junior Dos Santos or whether he's the next Sokoudjou.
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People complain about a fighter moving too slowly
People complain about a fighter getting rushed into big fights
The common theme here is that people complain.
Give Duffee a couple mid teir guys. If he beats them, give him Kongo or give him a wrestler and see how he matches up.
He is an imposing dude, a hard hitter and he is very athletic, but they need to figure out what othe pieces he has before they consider him a contender.what other
by truck on May 19, 2010 4:16 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
At first I read “Kongo” as “Kimbo”. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why you would want Duffee to take a step back after beating mid-tier fighters and fight Kimbo.
It's ironic to hear the fans complain.
UFC have enough depth in the roster to develop a young talent like Duffee. Strikeforce, is so thin overall in roster talent, that they will ruin a young star before he has a chance. Duffee is an interesting prospect, but, in no way is he ready to start fighting A or B level fighters. C level fighters are possibly a reach at this point. UFC could have Todd fight a few guys on the lines of Mike Russow or Struve, then if he passes both tests. Then test him against a name thats on the downside of his career. Mirko or Yvel come to mind.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
I like the way they're handling Duffee
He seems to be a real down to earth dude, despite being so imposing and huge. I’m glad that he’s not as cocky as some fighters in the UFC are. It’s good that he wants to pace himself. That’s the way to build a true superstar!
Kudos TD! Keep up the good work!
tho i don't see why a loss to Kos is that big of a deal.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
That was a case of a fighter being pushed to fast. Rumble was on a good streak against lesser opposition when he should have been fighting the Matt Brown’s, Ben Saunder’s, and the solid mid-tiers before fighting someone like Koscheck. Hindsight is 20/20 though, and obviously, Rumble was much over-hyped during that time as shown by the fact that many (myself included) felt that he would beat Koscheck by KO or TKO. He is still developing though and still has the potential to be a top fighter.
im still on the AJ train
hes young as hell obviously he wasnt ready for kos the same way gsp wasnt ready for hughes
Johnsons got heavy hands, hes always exciting and his cung le inspired striking is among the tops in the ww division
he desperately needs to work some bjj though, stay healthy and not let himself go between fights so his cuts arent in the 25-30 lb range like they have been
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
You cant pad their records in the UFC because it’s such a big stage and what happens is they end up wanting BJ penn money when they havent really proven themselves (see: Roger Huerta)… (see: Brandon Vera).
They wont be fed to the wolves but they will be constantly tested (Testing their wrestling, bjj, striking, well roundedness, against different styled fighters etc…)
You either sink or swim. This is best for the fans (we’re not being cock teased with a farce like cung le), best for Zuffa (it doesnt have to overpay for a fighter who’s at risk of being exposed) and best for the fighters (the best rise to the top as it should be).
The reality is that he would have likely been blown up by UFC fighters though
They had to know that too.
I think he could have done just fine as long as Joe Silva matched him up carefully. He would more than hold his own against any ‘stand and bang’ type fighter and could also pick off any BJJ types with poor takedowns.
ur either good enough or ur not
no need to baby fighters we dont want this to be boxing where you can be 38-0 and still suck
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
There’s a lot of reason to bring guys along carefully and let them develop. You’re acting like fighter skillsets are static. Guys develop over time and confidence is a funny thing for a fighter. You start throwing guys in over their heads too quick and you can ruin fighters.
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MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on May 19, 2010 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions
yea but what champions have had fragile mindsets?
bj and gsp got beat early in their careers by superior fighters, as did rampage, wanderlei silva, and kenny florian to name some more
u gotta know how to respond to adversity and have that attitude that if you get beat ur gonna do everything in ur power to not get beat again.
If a fighter cant respond from a loss agaisnt a more experienced opponent then they have no business being in the fight game. im all for inexpierienced fighters only given steps up in competition but how a fighter responds when you give them a huge leap in competition shows their heart and what they’re really made of
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
there's a difference
between being beaten and mauled. You must have never been embarrassed in your life. Not to mention, the mma scene is different now. So much more goes into being a fighter that you need time to develop these skills.
dude ive been completely mauled before
my entire post was based on experience, any person whos ever played high school football on a team in which the freshman practice with the varsity has been mauled by someone bigger stronger faster and better than them
a bunch if the freshman on my team quit cause they hated it so much but everyone who stayed had the right mindset to be successful, if ur weak minded and can let a beating ruin u then u have no business being in the fight game
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
theres a difference between being blown out
on a team sport and being wrecked in front of millions and your family. And theres a huge difference between a combat sport and a contact sport.
If you’ve ever even sparred against someone who was leagues above you, they can beat the fear of god in you. There are levels in this sport and if you bite off more than you can chew the results are devistating.
that is true
and im not saying we should start throwing the todd duffees and other prospects in mma against the champions of their divisions, but i am saying the occasionnal leap in competition that some fighters experience like gsp vs hughes I or even anthony johnson vs kos are good things for the younger fighters
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
oh absolutely
he can’t be stagnant forever. every fight should present some level of challenge and natural progression, you dont want to feed him cans either. I think the ufc could benefit from a forum where they bring along guys prospects like duffee and give them airtime. Maybe some online interviews, some info and a weekly show that highlights their progress.
I’m sure they still do, but that doesn’t mean they ever considered him a contender. Cung is a guy with a rabid, built-in fanbase who has a very exciting style. I’m sure the UFC would love to match him up against bangers like Sakara/McFedries/Leben and if he gets too big for his britches they’d put him in there with a stylistic nightmare like Sonnen.
he really ought to cut to 170lbs
he’s way too small to be a MW in the UFC.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I agree.
It’d be a tough cut, but with proper discipline, Todd Duffee could probably get down to 170.
by Gideon Jay on May 19, 2010 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
im pretty sure thats accurate
Fan of Tiger 'Makin It Rain' Woods
by B-A-N-A-N-A-S on May 19, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
The way he claimed he was one of the most overrated fighters blew me away. This kid is wise. I hope he does well, he’s marketable, smart, and from what I can tell, a decent fighter.
A guy with a level head like that deserves some success.
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
He made a clear distinction in not to say over rated but overhyped.
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
"I am highly hyped. Am I overrated? I don’t think so. But I’ve been over-hyped by that seven-second knockout.
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
That is an important distinction, but hyped-rated goes hand in hand with the way most of the rankings go in MMA.
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
by Kaleb Kelchner on May 19, 2010 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
What was his discipline before entering MMA? Did he wrestle in high school and/or college? I was wondering how he got into the sport.
Wiki is never wrong
“On the 16th of May 2010 it was reported that Duffee had received his black belt in BJJ under the McCormack brothers at Monasterevin Top Team”
I can’t think of many guys with the Duffman’s build with black belts. I am now on his hype train.
by sloppyknoll on May 20, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
He has a good head on his shoulders, I think it's safe to say he's going to be a threat for a long time.
MMA Aggregator - http://mma.ly
I think he’s going to UNLV and that played a role in his decision to go to UNLV. You seem to be okay with Duffee fighting an establised veteran like Russow, but against Lashley fighting Del Rosario
by The Bronzeville Bully on May 19, 2010 4:50 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Lashley has better wrestling than many UFC heavyweights…not sure how that qualifies him to be a “fraud”.
Now, if you want to bring up how he’s picking and choosing opponents…well, thats another story.
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
by Kaleb Kelchner on May 19, 2010 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Spider duffy, spider duffy does whatever spider duffy does, can he swing from a web...
"...ride life straight to perfect laughter,
it's the only good fight there is."
TODDDUFFEE!!!!
is the most exciting HW prospect in the buisness ! cant wait to see where he’ll be in the HW mix in the years to come
I’m ranking TODDDUFFEE as the third most exciting HW prospect, which is a great thing.
Hard core MMA fan since UFC 99
dos santos is by far the best prospect
25 with the best striking in the UFCs division and trains with the noguiera brothers which is never a bad idea
this guy could seriously be the dominant UFC champ we’ve been waiting for
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
I’d argue that Dos Santos is past the point of “prospect,” and has become a contender. It’s all semantics (obviously), but Junior has put together several impressive wins and established himself as one of the top 5 heavyweights in the UFC (or at least very near there, depending on your opinion).
For me all of that = no longer a prospect.
by Estrada on May 19, 2010 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
thats completely true
but his age and ability to get better is the only thing that makes me say that, hes so young and has only been in the UFC for a little over a year and a half
honestly his wins in the past year or two are better than anyone elses at hw (go ahead and try to name someone with better victories since he beat werdum a little over 18 months ago)
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
The next Soko you say?
There’s ony way to find that out, if he wins this fight give him a shot at the SUPER HLUK CHAMP himself, MINOWAMAN!!
by Polyhedron on May 19, 2010 5:40 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
I don't want
TODDDUFFEE to die!!!1 Are you crazy!?
"Alas, there is no time-share on my balls." -Luke Thomas
That KO of Hague was lucky
Watch the fight. Hague comes up to him, drops his hands and literally asks to be KO’d. I think Duffee knows that and is keeping a level head rather than buying into the prospect hype.
That attitude is great and for that I hope he wins against Russow, who is extremely dangerous in his own right.
Yeah...
I mean, I don’t think I’d choose the word “lucky” but as I keep repeating: you don’t learn much from a KO in under 30 seconds other than “this guy has one punch KO power”
He’s an exciting prospect and I’d love to continue to see him be successful but that KO doesn’t make me think “this guy is a can’t miss prospect”
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on May 19, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
sokoudjus a prime example
i think duffee is better than that though but im only judging off of 7 seconds and his athleticism so what the hell do i know
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
How long has it been since he made his debut?
and why the long wait for his return?
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
i love duffee
but generally the fighters with no martial arts backrounds struggle
duffee didnt get involved into mma until he was relatively pretty old, if u throw him in against a lifelong wrestler like a velasquez or a dos santos whos been boxing since he could throw punches hes gonna get killed
duffees a very very green prospect going on only athleticism at this point, his injury he had recently definately didnt help, but a few more years of training at xtreme couture and maybe another couple pounds of muscle and we could see him be a great fighter
duffee has one thing definately going for him and thats heavy hands, u simply cannot teach a fighter knockout power the same way you cant teach speed
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
and nate
wikipedia says todd duffee joined xtreme couture cause of his acceptance into UNLV for the spring 2010 semester which would explain his leaving ATT which isnt based in vegas
i know its wikipedia but after it gets me As on my college research paper therefore i treat it as a valuable source
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
IMHO
Fighters should fight fighters at their level. If a guy is fighting at a top contender level such as Jon Jones he shouldn’t be held back just because he’s wet behind the ears. That said I don’t think we have any accurate way to gauge where Duffee is yet and I’m looking forward to this fight.
Google Ron Paul!
The only reason I can think of to bring talented prospects up as slow as they seem to be is to make sure their record is really impressive. Now obviously you can’t bring them up TOO fast, but definitely push them and give them a challenge they have to rise up to. A hard fought loss with an upper-tier fighter would teach, IMO, a lot more then just facing off against guys that you’re supposed to beat.
There’s a line though, because obviously Bones isn’t ready for a title shot, but I definitely think he’s ready for the Forrests, Rashads, Jardines, and Thiago Silvas of the division.
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