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LAS VEGAS – The last time fans saw Todd Duffee inside the cage was this past September at UFC on ESPN+ 16. He was clutching his eye when the official decision was read as a no contest.

In his fight against Jeff Hughes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Duffee (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was poked in the eye. When he was unable to continue, the bout was waved off.

Six months later, Duffee is on the heels of multiple surgeries – both unrelated to his eye. Duffee is progressing toward being ready to fight again, he said at a Dominance MMA media day earlier this month in Las Vegas. According to Duffee, he’s lookin at a late 2020 return.

“I’m still here – I can tell you that much,” Duffee told MMA Junkie. “An update on my career: I went into that fight with some bad nerve damage in my leg from a previous knee surgery. I got through the fight. Obviously, the accidental eye poke (happened and) I wasn’t able to see. My depth perception was off.

“After that, I got knee surgery and nerve surgery again. I basically live at the (UFC Performance Institute), just lurking in the darkness, awaiting my time. I’m expecting to try to fight at the end of the year. With nerve damage, you just don’t know. That’s where I’m at.”

Duffee compared his nerve damage issue with having a “clubfoot.” The clinical term is “drop foot,” Duffee said. Since the surgery, he’s feeling much better. In early March, he returned to baseline training activities.

“Over the last week, I started shadowboxing again,” Duffee said. “I started getting on my feet. I’ve been doing some grappling drills with a dummy. I feel like the process is coming along pretty well.”

MMA training hasn’t been kind to Duffee over the years. A career riddled with injuries, Duffee has only competed once since July 2015. Despite the unlucky streak, Duffee said his love for fighting has prevented him from getting discouraged. In his mind, he still has quite a few years ahead of him.

“I absolutely love fighting,” Duffee said. “It is very frustrating. It’s extremely frustrating. I can’t sit up here and pretend like every day I’m not biting at the bit. At the end of the day, I believe in the talent and I love this sport. I’m going to get my ride. I feel young still. I have at least six years left in my career. I don’t have a lot of mileage. I feel ready and it’s just a matter of biding my time and being patient.”