Struve to face Buentello now

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced Paul Buentello now faces Stefan Struve at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn.

Buentello was originally slated to face a different heavyweight up-and-comer in Todd Duffee. The American Top Team fighter had to withdraw due to a back injury, forcing the substitution.

This is Buentello's (27-10) second stint with the UFC, having gone 3-1 in his first go around. He challenged Andrei Arlovski for the heavyweight title at UFC 55, but was knocked out in the opening seconds of the fight. He has since gone 5-1 fighting for Strikeforce and Affliction, his only loss being to current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

Struve (18-3) had a rough start in the Octagon, losing by TKO to Top 10 heavyweight Junior dos Santos. He has since rebounded with back-to-back wins at UFC 99 and UFC 104.

With a burgeoning heavyweight division, neither is likely to challenge for the title anytime soon, but a victory keeps the winner on the right track.

UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn defends his title against Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC 107 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.