Paul Buentello

By Michael Hatamoto

Former UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight contender Paul Buentello will next see action at Legacy Fighting Championship 27 against Isaac Villanueva.

Legacy FC 27 takes place on January 31, 2014, live from Houston, Texas. The event will be aired on Axs.TV, which routinely shows live regional MMA events.

It’s amazing to see Buentello, a 39-year-old veteran with 48 professional MMA fights, drop from heavyweight to light heavyweight and suddenly feel better.

Prior to his recent TKO win against James McSweeney at Legacy FC 22, Buentello hasn’t beaten a meaningful opponent in quite some time – losing to the likes of Stefan Struve, Cheick Kongo, Tim Sylvia, Cole Konrad, and Darrill Schoonover dating back to December 2009.

Meanwhile, a Buentello vs. Villanueva main event shows the difficulty regional MMA promotions have putting together compelling main card fights, as Buentello is riding a four-fight win streak – while Villanueva is on a four-fight slide. Both fighters will likely try to stand and bang until someone either gasses or gets knocked out.

Buentello, a former King of the Cage heavyweight champion, looks prepared to wind down his pro career fighting mid-tier fighters on the local circuit. Of his 33 wins, 20 have come by way of knockout, and regional fight promoters surely can find him some big guys to smash on.

Follow Full Contact Fighter to learn more about the upcoming Legacy FC 27 fight card in January. The next Legacy FC event will be LFC 25 from Houston, Texas, on Nov. 15, featuring a lightweight main event fight between Jorge Patino vs. Carlos Ferreira.