Todd Duffee has a rare nerve disorder which has kept him out of the Octagon since December 2012.
However, the UFC heavyweight has said that he’s hoping to have a fight soon if things continue to progress.
The news first broke on UFC Tonight, Wednesday. Duffee has Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a condition that disrupts motor skills, according to the report.
Recovery from the disorder can take between 12-24 months, although Duffee said he’s looking to return in less time than that.
“I am doing my own rehab, sadly. So, there is no telling,” Duffee told Fox Sports 1 reporter Ariel Helwani (H/T MMA Mania). “I am trying to be smart. I have successfully grappled and sparred. I am nowhere near where I need to be. I will hopefully know more in two months. If things progress, I will ask for a fight with a four-month camp, looking at a September or October time frame.”
Duffee has had a rocky career in MMA. He was cut from the UFC in 2010 after getting KO’d in only his second fight to Mike Russow. That was followed by a 19 second KO by way of an Alistair Overeem knee at Dynamite!! 2010 which was shown on sportlemon.
To add to the 28-year-old’s embarrassment, he was later revealed to be a user of TRT during a furore over its use in MMA. He was 24 at the time he was given the exemption for the first time to use the steroid hormone.
Things have been looking better for him, more recently. He scored a victory over Neil Grove at Super Fight League 2, was welcomed back into the UFC fold and knocked out Phillip De Fries.
That was in December 2012 and he hasn’t been able to get back into action since.
During his absence, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has outlawed TRT and other commissions are following suit.
That could complicate his return, depending on how reliant on TRT he actually was when he was taking it.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com