Details: 265 lbs. Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello (27-10) vs. Gilbert Yvel (35-13-1)
Fight Odds: (-185 Yvel / +155 Buentello) at Sportsbook.com
Prediction: Yvel by KO round 2
The second fight of the night promises flying leather in huge quantities as two well-known sluggers collide in the form of Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello and perennial rulebreaker Gilbert Yvel. Both men are pretty much exclusively known for throwing bombs, so this is the kind of fight that will be one second from ending at any point.
Paul Buentello, a UFC veteran, is equally known for the opponents he has viciously knocked out and the opponents who viciously knocked him out. Buentello is the definition of one-dimensional, and that one dimension is punching power. He is slow, in poor condition, has no ground game, no technique, and a suspect chin. That he has managed to accrue such a good record is proof of just how scary his punching power really is. His gameplan will be predictable, to say the least. He will wade forward, throw no jabs, and load up every punch with fight-ending power.
Yvel’s gameplan will be pretty much identical to Buentello’s, except that in the back of his head he will probably be thinking about punching the ref if he happens to lose. Stylistically, this is close to a “mirror match” as you will ever see. Both men are punchers with mediocre technique and a surplus of knockout power. Put simply, though, Yvel is better at it. He’s quicker and more explosive, he has beat better competition, and he is in far better shape.
This fight should be pretty much all Yvel. He will confound Buentello with superior speed and quickly put him to sleep, probably early in round 2. The only real question here is why athletic commissions continue to license Yvel, who has no business in a ring after all the antics he has pulled in his career.
Either way, Yvel by KO, round 2.
