The end-of-the-year mixed martial arts binge continues with UFC 107 “Penn vs. Sanchez,” which airs live on pay-per-view this Saturday from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., and gives the natives a much-needed respite from the putrid NBA franchise that calls The Bluff City home.
There are more reasons to plunk down the dough for the PPV, however, as the main card also showcases MMA’s Samson, a guy who utilizes Guerilla jiu-jitsu and, of course, various other angry dudes hitting one another hard. Settle in for some grown man-worthy fight talk, and make sure to keep the hate mail coming.
Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve
The Breakdown: The old striker-versus-grappler archetype gets dusted off for this heavyweight dustup, as Buentello looks to make a worthwhile return to the UFC against Holland’s jiu-jitsu Gumby. Make no mistake -- this fight revolves around whether or not Struve, a replacement for Todd Duffee, can drag Buentello to the mat before he gets removed from consciousness.
The task will not be as difficult as Buentello would like, since he does not use his jab particularly well and has never shown proper takedown defense; not a good combination when one’s paycheck depends on staying upright. While Struve may be no Karl Gotch, he has proven more than happy to pull guard or simply latch on and start going for his submissions, regardless of whether or not his opponent wants to go down.
The X-Factor: Struve’s chin hardly seems ideal in a division where 265-pound super mutants are quickly becoming the norm. Buentello still has lots of snap in his punches and only needs Struve to oblige him ever so slightly to turn his brains into a zombie milkshake.
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The Bottom Line: Hope Struve wins via submission. Who can bear the awkwardness of watching Buentello try and get the crowd to echo his catchphrase during the post-fight interview again? Let us all hope we are fortunate enough to be spared the embarrassment.