For the first time in five years, Paul Buentello will compete on the local circuit when he takes on undefeated Bryan Humes (video above) at Shark Fights 11 on May 22 in Odessa, Texas.
After fighting for the UFC, Strikeforce and Affliction since February 2005, Buentello (27-12) of Amarillo, Texas finds himself in an unfamiliar spot of having to work his way back to a major promotion. The 36-year-old striker was released after his fall in March to Cheick Kongo at UFC on Versus 1, his second straight UFC loss.
Buentello's opponent, Humes, has a background in Muay Thai and is a purple belt in BJJ. Although Humes, who trains out of Robert Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas, is undefeated in six fights, he's only fought one opponent with a winning record.
According to the Shark Fights promotion, the winner of Buentello-Humes will be in title contention against champion Darrill Schoonover of The Ultimate Fighter 10 fame.
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