"I was supposed to fight Pedro (Rizzo) first but he had other fight obligations so Paul (Buentello) stepped in and stepped up to the task. We were expecting Pedro the first time, it didn't happen, so now we'll get ready for him, bring in some good kickboxers. Maybe [I'll] take him down to the ground and submit him."
Newly minted PWP Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia tells Karyn Bryant that he's now getting ready to defend his strap against another former UFC division kingpin when Pedro Rizzo tries to flatten the "Maine-iac" later this year. The New England native stopped Paul Buentello at the Aug. 14 "War on the Mainland" pay-per-view for his third straight win since the Ray Mercer incident back in June 2009. Is Sylvia officially "back?" Or just here temporarily until he defends against the hard-hitting Brazilian -- also the winner of three straight?