UFC 107 Preview: Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve

Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello (24-10-0, 3-1 UFC) vs. "The Skyscraper" Stefan Struve (18-3-0, 2-1 UFC)

The Story So Far

Re-signed by the UFC when Affliction closed their doors, Buentello was originally slated to meet mammoth prospect Todd Duffee, but an injury forced the knockout record holder to withdraw.

Fresh off a second consecutive submission win, the young and improving Struve stepped in right away and takes a serious step up in talent.

An interesting wrinkle developed earlier in the week when it became known that Buentello had been suspended from training at American Kickboxing Academy for going outside the AKA ranks for representation. Though I can't be certain, something tells me that getting barred from your long-time gym in the week before your fight isn't very helpful.

Conventional Wisdom

This fight offers one of the classic pairings in sport - the veteran versus the up-and-comer.

Buentello has been around the block a time or two, once challenging Andrei Arlovski for the UFC Heavyweight title (UFC 55), though he didn't last very long. He was also the man who lost to Alistair Overeem when the Dutchmen claimed the Strikeforce Heavyweight belt he has yet to defend.

Across the cage will be a 21-year-old prospect who has shown some promise since being led to the slaughter in his debut against Junior "Cigano" dos Santos at UFC 95. Struve battled through a nasty cut to choke out Denis Stojnic at UFC 99 in Germany and disposed of Chase Gormley inside the fight round en route to earning Submission of the Night honors at UFC 104.

In addition to being a veteran versus upstart battle, this fight looks like it comes down to who dictates where the fight takes place, as Buentello will look to keep it on the feet, while the long and lanky Struve will work to bring the fight to the floor.

WKR Analysis

As bad a matchup as I thought Todd Duffee was for the returning Buentello, this one might actually be worse.

With Duffee, chances are it would have stayed standing, giving "The Headhunter" ample opportunity to do just that while trying to stay out of Duffee's considerable wheelhouse. As well, losing to a guy many quickly (and certainly unnecessarily) thrust future greatness upon after his impressive debut wouldn't be so bad.

But now he faces a kid who has received far less hype and presents an even more uncomfortable pairing, as we've seen the fluidity Struve possesses on the ground with his submission game. And let's not forget the massive nine inch height advantage that will certainly help keep Buentello at bay.

The key for Struve will be establishing his range early. In his fight with dos Santos, the young Dutch fighter was overwhelmed by his Brazilian opponent, as "Cigano" bullied his way inside before unleashing a barrage of punches that ended Struve's night quickly.

If he can keep Buentello outside and bring the fight to the ground, Struve could have a a third straight win on his resume.

Fun Fact

Despite being relatively well-known, Paul Buentello has never beaten anyone of consequence. Seriously. His three best wins are "Mini Fedor" Kiril Sidelnikov, Tank Abbott and Justin Eilers. How unimpressive is that?