UFC 107: Paul Buentello vs Todd Duffee on tap for Dec. 12

by Jesse Holland on Sep 22, 2009 3:41 PM EDT

duffee_buentello

With his contract up for grabs following the demise of Affliction MMA, staunch striking specialist Paul Buentello (27-10) will make his return to the Octagon against rising star Todd Duffee (5-0) at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12, according to Yahoo!Sports.com.

Buentello was last seen using Kiril Sidelnikov’s face as a human punching bag for almost three full rounds at Affliction 2: "Day of Reckoning" earlier this year. "The Headhunter" went on to eventually score a late third round technical knockout over the Russian Sambo specialist, who later tested positive for having banned substances in his system after the match.

The win was Buentello’s second straight under the Affliction banner -- he outpointed last minute replacement Gary Goodridge on the judges scorecards to earn a unanimous decision victory in the promotion’s inaugural show in 2008.

He was originally scheduled to face Gilbert Yvel (after Tim Sylvia got clowned by Ray Mercer) at the Aug.1 "Trilogy" event, but the promotion closed up shop after headliner Josh Barnett got popped for steroids.

Over his past 13 fights Buentello has only dropped two contests — one was for a shot at Andrei Arlovski’s UFC heavyweight title back at UFC 55 and the other was at the hands of Alistair Overeem for Strikeforce in November 2007.

He brings a wealth of experience, but will it be enough to quell the surging heavyweight standout?

Duffee made his UFC debut at the "Couture vs. Nogueira" pay-per-view back on Aug. 29. The 23-year-old American Top Team product pushed his perfect record to 5-0 with a record-setting seven-second annihilation of Tim Hague.

Prior to that, the Duffee scored an impressive second round technical knockout over Brazilian roadblock, Assuerio Silva, at Jungle Fight 11 last September. The hulking University of Georgia student has ended all five of his professional fights by way of (technical) knockout.

Could "The Headhunter" be number six?

UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion BJ Penn defending his title against number one division contender Diego Sanchez, as well as a heavyweight showdown between former champion Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo.

In addition, a lightweight attraction between stars Kenny Florian and Clay Guida was recently shifted to the card to compensate for the loss of the light heavyweight showdown between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans.

For more on the developing UFC 107 fight card and rumors click here.

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Comments

between the Penn/Sanchez fight, the Florian/Guida fight and now this, the UFC107 card is shaping up to have some great fights on it.

by GreenStar on Sep 22, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions

man the ufc is bring back the head hunter to be a justin mcully, and get beat down by big dudes like duffee

this ifhg tis going to look like the one that the pitbull did to paul

by Mikeybear on Sep 22, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, I don’t think Paul will win, I just think it’s another good fight to add into the card :)

by GreenStar on Sep 23, 2009 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions

I think the match making is spot on. It’s a good fight for both fighters and us… looking forward to some serious jabs

by Big Zino on Sep 22, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions

u serious? Duffee is going to destroy him. prob quicker then Arlovski did. What a waste of a fight. I’d rather see Duffee fight Junior Dos Santos.

by Horny for Gina on Sep 22, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah but he’s Paul Buentello. This is a great chance for Duffee to prove himself legit quickly. Junior just had a fight and you want to hold Todd up until Dos santos is ready? If Paul wins he’s back -- good reasons for the fight from both camps.

by Big Zino on Sep 22, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

prefectly put, and what has duffee really proven in a quick knock out? did he prove to be better than paul?buentello could win this fight.

by roy on Sep 22, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

This is the Real Deal now. Great match-up.
If Duffee wins, it will def. propel him into the mix.

by JimmieGreens on Sep 22, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Bad stylistic matchup for Paul. But he’s gritty so Duffee will get ringtime to work on his top game and gnp. Duffee doesn’t have to work about any threat except for the standup so he can test various aspects of his game with the knowledge that he has a safe retreat in his wrestling/GNP game. Think Kongo-Cain.

by NameNotRequired on Sep 22, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly NNR! This is a great fight for Duffee. He will win it, and get much needed ring time. Dont get me wrong, I like Buentello. But stylistically he will get overwhelmed by Duffee. I wonder what the opening odds will be for this fight! I need to bet Duffee the day the odds get released because by the day of the event, I expect the line to change a lot cause everyone is going to be betting Duffee!

by john G on Sep 22, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

stylistically, Paul has seen everything I believe. He’s a gritty vet. So Duffee’s power would be nothing new.

And yeah you guys are right. If Duffee wins, he’s gonna be a legit HW. I just don’t know how his chin would hold up against Buentello…

by Syd on Sep 22, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Duffee is going to be too strong, too quick for Paul. Paul does best against slow short guys where he can use his jab…

by RoBerto on Sep 22, 2009 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Duffee should win this one easily, Buentello is a mediocre fighter with a decent name so is the perfect match-up for Todd as he gets a winnable fight against a respected veteran instead of a no-name can.

by David W-S on Sep 22, 2009 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Why? JDS is probably one win from a title fight, while Duff-Man has been in the UFC for exactly 7 seconds. He hasn’t earned the right to fight JDS at this point.

by PW on Sep 22, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

…that too

by Big Zino on Sep 22, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

i dont get it. all weve seen is one punch from this guy and everyone is all but calling him the champ already. his debut he knocked out who exactly to earn this? just because hes big and pretty doesnt mean much. he needs to prove himself before he gets to the upper guys. he should be fighting other noobs and older journeymen before even mentioning guys like dos santos and lesnar. good matchup in my eyes.

by Egads on Sep 22, 2009 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly Paul is a proven fighter that will become more of a gatekeeper in the UFC HW division you beat Paul welcome to the top eight and really shows the improvement of the HW division three years ago he would of been a top five and would of probally fought for the belt once or twice. Paul has potential himself to make the top five as long he can keep the fight standing but I can’t see him ever being a top contender. Let’s see how good Duffee really is as Paul is his first test against a top ten HW.

by Puck Head on Sep 22, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Perfectly put Egads!

Far too soon to be praising! Wow 7 seconds? Now throw em in with the tops? If he dominates buentello then we’ll see. But you can’t write this a guaranteed w from his 1st UFC performance.

Congrats to him & hope him the best. But C’mon guys get real.

Mania should’ve stopped the thread after it was very well cleared up from egads. Good job brotheran

by Daniel worby on Sep 22, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I am not sure anyone is calling him the champ yet but he knocked out(not TKO) Tim Hague, who all though is not top of the food chain, had never realy been hurt before and is known for having a solid chin. He also TKO’d Assuerio Silva who had never been tko’d. He beat him easily, man handled Silva in his guard, in the clinch, and in the stand up and Silva is much more experienced fighter then Duffee. Who knows he could end up. being a total Houston Alexander, but what he did was just more about putting the HW division on notice, there is another big hitter in town and he looks hungry.

by Da Monkey on Sep 23, 2009 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Duffee is a Star in the making, if he can keep winning he will be the next big thing- he already is the next big thing with his size and speed… lets see how his ground game is .. especially since he is so young he will be a animal for sure

by Ricky on Sep 22, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Buentello is going to sleep.

by Lester The Pimp on Sep 22, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions

Terrible fight for Paul B. He is going to get his block knocked off.. I don’t see this fight going past round 2. Paul B may have a shortened UFC career.

by fistoffury on Sep 22, 2009 3:51 PM EDT reply actions

This should be an interesting test for both of them, esp Duffee. Buentello has fought some of the best and has done exceptionally well in the minor leagues since leaving the UFC. This will tell us if Duffee is the real deal and/or if Paul can still hang with the big boys.

by shonuff on Sep 22, 2009 3:53 PM EDT reply actions

hell yeah! i have been a headhunter fan for a few years, and this fight is gonna the real test for duffe, but i got paul to win because he hits very hard and wont walk into duff mans hands, duffe better have some skill behinde all that power or paul will wreck him.

by Blazy J on Sep 22, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions

ITs very good matchmaking. They are giving Duffee a name veteran, and if he wins, could be another great u and comer in the UFC. We wil lbe able to see if it was just fluke in his last fight or if he is for real. Also, if he wins, they can get rid off Buentello right off the back.

by manalito on Sep 22, 2009 4:00 PM EDT reply actions

Yea in the next year or so all the old time vets and grizzled gate keepers will be put out to pasture. They’re all being fed to these up and comin kids.

by NameNotRequired on Sep 22, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Buentello takies it by the way

by manalito on Sep 22, 2009 4:07 PM EDT reply actions

Keep telling yourself that.

That flabby pinata is going to get knocked out in the first minute.

by Lester The Pimp on Sep 22, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Wanna bet on that Lester?

by Diceman on Sep 22, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Speaking of which, where can I bet online? I’m in the US

by Ed M on Sep 22, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions

bodog is good. I get payouts in a week sometimes even less.

by tiger_style on Sep 22, 2009 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus this card has Gouveia/Belcher… Fu%k Rampage, who needs him.

by BNF on Sep 22, 2009 4:10 PM EDT reply actions

Hannibal, Face, and Murdoch need him! I hope they make him wear the overalls with the red striped socks and converse flat sneakers. It will be worth the ticket price just to see him in that get-up. I hope he keeps the beard when he comes back to MMA.

by shonuff on Sep 22, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

“I ain’t gettin’ in no plane, fool!”

by Syd on Sep 22, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

who got Gilbert Yvels contract, ufc should bring him in

by kickbox on Sep 22, 2009 4:30 PM EDT reply actions

Yvel was at the fan expo. Nice enough guy, I got a pic wih him. I would think we will be hearing about him in the UFC soon. Does anyone think that the Major network deal pretty much has to be ABC. Have you seen any other network advertise on a UFC ppv? Plus Dana said he got hooked on boxing watching it with his uncle as a kid. Guess which network that was. ABC seems to be cool with having once a quarter type events. I know that’s just anecdotal at best but I think we’ll get the announcement in a month or 2 at the most.

by naturalist on Sep 22, 2009 4:57 PM EDT reply actions

Oh yeah, better get in on Duffee as soon as this line comes out cause it’s prob going to -500 in a hurry.

by naturalist on Sep 22, 2009 4:59 PM EDT reply actions

wow this is an awesome fight this is gonna be a good test for todd duffee thank you JOE SILVA

by Akabane on Sep 22, 2009 5:12 PM EDT reply actions

Indeed. Thanks Joe. This is brilliant matchmaking as always.

by BulletproofTiger on Sep 23, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

find it funny how people can fall into the hype so quickly… i see there’s already a Todd Dufee bandwagon forming!! only 5 pro fights and a 7 sec. tko over Tim Hague? who da hell is Tim Hague? and already people are thinking the world of this guy!! slow down people slow down.. Paul Bentello is a great test for Dufee!! lets see if he can get past Bentello and how impressive he can if he does before we start hyping this guy up even more

by JR on Sep 22, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions

Good post. Way too many people are counting out Buentello simply because Dufee got a jab tko on a can in his first UFC fight. Buentello will be the favorite for a reason.

by Diceman on Sep 22, 2009 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m counting out Buentello because he sucks, he isn’t UFC standard and was only brought back so that he could be fed to young prospects like Duffee. Todd is inexperienced but there are far more dangerous opponents than Buentello, Duffee should be beating the likes of the Headhunter is he is going to have a successful MMA career.

by David W-S on Sep 22, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Buentello is a respected veteran. He has brutal power and great striking. This is not a one sided fight by any means

by BulletproofTiger on Sep 23, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

WAR PAULY B

by torresisawarrior on Sep 22, 2009 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with JR. Mark weir got the fastest ko before look what happened to him. The guy looks like a young brock but paul has good stand up and if duffy rushes in he could end up being knocked out in 6 seconds. HE HAS ONLY FOUGHT 7 SECONDS FOR FK SAKES how are you going to tell how much skill someone has in 7 seconds. Paul has a good sprawl and has good striking he moves abit like chuck and watching duffy’s first fight i’m sure he will be ready.

by THE ROAD WARRIOR noo nooow we go in! we go in! we kill them! on Sep 22, 2009 5:46 PM EDT reply actions

todd duffe knocked out sum1 who looked like shit in his last fight n u people r all on his nuts…besides mayb ko power this guy doesn’t impress me…n im not buyin his ko power yet cause the dude he beat got rocked in his last fight b4 the 7 sec ko…i say the headhunter wins this

by hahaha hehehe on Sep 22, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions

i duffman gets thru buentello he shud get a next title shot!!he def cud B the next brock lesnar!i think buentello’s guna win this 1 by dec or tko if he keeps it standing

by d*locc on Sep 22, 2009 7:07 PM EDT reply actions

I like the fact that the UFC heavyweight division is getting a little deep with the addition on Buentello!

by jet99 on Sep 22, 2009 7:58 PM EDT reply actions

real deal or not you gotta dig what the HW division is starting to look like.

by JB on Sep 22, 2009 8:31 PM EDT reply actions

If he is legit and keeps winning he is another fighter that can compare in size with Brock. He is 6’3" and he is only 22 years old. As he get a little bit older he could still put on some more muscle mass. The man muscles still need to be developed.

by Da Monkey on Sep 23, 2009 9:09 AM EDT reply actions