Todd Duffee to return to UFC after 2-year medical absence

The owner of the fastest knockout in the history of the UFC is set to return after a two-year absence.

UFC officials told ESPN on Friday that heavyweight Todd Duffee will return to the promotion on Dec. 6 at UFC 181, his first mixed martial arts fight since Dec. 29, 2012.

Then 26 years old, Duffee had just made his return to the UFC after two fights away, defeating Philip De Fries by knockout, when he suffered an undisclosed injury. As he rehabilitated the injury, he was diagnosed with Parsonage-Turner syndrome, a nerve disorder that causes pain and numbness in the shoulder and upper arm.

Now cleared for action, the American Top Team Fighter will draw Anthony Hamilton (13-3), who is coming off his first UFC victory in August.

Fight fans should be excited about Duffee (8-2) coming back to the promotion. While he stumbled with back-to-back losses in 2010, he's a talented striker with very heavy hands. In 2009, he knocked Tim Hague out in a UFC-record seven seconds, and all eight of his career victories have come by knockout. Since both of his losses have also come by knockout, Duffee's 10 career fights have lasted an average of just 2:43.