“It’s been a hard few weeks and I’ve had some huge decisions to make, but I’ve decided to make a return to the cage,” said Duffy, who’s based at the MMA Clinic gym in Islington, London.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to train under a world-class boxing trainer in John Tandy, but it’s hard to escape the fact that my heart will always be in MMA.

“I’m really excited about competing for Cage Warriors again, and my plans are to add a few KOs to my record and then mix it up with the guys at the top.”

Duffy, the last fighter to defeat current UFC stars Conor McGregor and Norman Parke, was a contestant on season twelve of The Ultimate Fighter in 2010.

He signed with CWFC later on that year and went on to secure four consecutive victories, the first of which saw him submit McGregor after just 38 seconds of their bout at CWFC 39 (WATCH).

That run landed Duffy a shot at the vacant CWFC lightweight world title against Ivan Musardo in the main event at CWFC 44 in London in October 2011.

Despite taking the first three rounds on the judges’ scorecards, a costly slip by Duffy in round four allowed Musardo to capitalise and lock in a guillotine choke to take the title.

For the first time since that loss, Duffy will be back in Cage Warriors action later this year, with his return scheduled for CWFC 70 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, August 16.

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan said: “Joe went 7-0 as a professional boxer in the space of a year, having worked under John Tandy, one of the best trainers in the world of boxing.

“Adding that to the fact that he is a jujitsu black belt and already has a 10-1 MMA record, this has been a huge decision for Joe but it’s a very exciting development for CWFC fans.”