(Any man who can come out looking like Frankenstein and laugh it off is okay by us.)
Despite our pleas to see Dutch beanstalk Stefan Struve take on the UFC’s shortest heavyweight in Pat Barry, Struve is now official as the replacement for the injured Todd Duffee against Paul Buentello at UFC 107 in December. While it’s not the David vs. Goliath fight we were hoping for (Buentello is 6’2", which isn’t funny at all), there’s still the young punk (21-year-old Struve) vs. grizzled old veteran (Buentello’s 35) angle.
Buentello is returning to the UFC after wins in both of Affliction’s events, first against Gary Goodridge and then against Kiril "Little Fedor on Steroids" Sidelnikov. The last time Buentello fought in the Octagon was February of 2006, when he beat Gilbert Adana via TKO at UFC 57. The very next night, on another continent, Struve competed in his fourth pro MMA bout at the "Staredown City" event in Oostzaan, Holland. He defeated Murat Bourekba via disqualification. When Buentello made his MMA debut in April of 1997, Struve had just recently celebrated his ninth birthday. Should be an interesting scrap.


Frankenstein is the name of the scientist, and Struve doesn’t look like a genius to me.