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Rick Story Looking to Derail Gunnar Nelson’s Rise at UFC Fight Night 53

Rick Story knows what it feels like to have momentum in the UFC welterweight division.
The Washington-born powerhouse rose to prominence in the 170-pound ranks on the strength of a six-fight winning streak that included wins over former title challenge…

Rick Story knows what it feels like to have momentum in the UFC welterweight division.

The Washington-born powerhouse rose to prominence in the 170-pound ranks on the strength of a six-fight winning streak that included wins over former title challenger Thiago Alves and prospect-turned-champion Johny Hendricks. “The Horror” used his solid wrestling base and forward pressure to overwhelm the opposition inside the Octagon, and the run he put on between 2009-2011, had Story poised to be the next big thing in the highly competitive welterweight division.

But mixed martial arts is an unpredictable sport.

Story’s red-hot streak would eventually come to an end in the summer of 2011 and the 30-year-old Vancouver-based fighter has spent the past three years scrapping to regain his footing in the upper tier of the 170-pound fold. Moving his training to the MMA Lab and a solid victory in his most recent outing against Leonardo Mafra back in July have things moving in the right direction, and Story will be looking to continue his climb when he faces Gunnar Nelson at Fight Night 53 in Stockholm on Oct. 4.

“[Nelson] has a weird karate stance, but he’s a good striker and he has outstanding grappling,” Story told Bleacher Report. “He’s also aggressive. I have pretty heavy hands and my striking keeps evolving. My transitions between wrestling and striking are getting better everyday. He’s going to be coming in for takedowns and I’m going to be hitting him on the defensive. I also have the ability to take him down and hit him while he’s on the ground and when he’s trying to get up.

“This fight has the ability to be really exciting or it could be really boring. There’s a chance he could take me down, ride me out and ground and pound me for a full round. This fight is definitely up in the air and just depends on what happens in there.”

There was plenty of buzz surrounding Nelson’s arrival to the UFC back in 2012, and Story believes the hype attached to the grappling phenom is absolutely valid. The Iceland native has found success in all four of his showings inside the Octagon and has looked more impressive with each respective showing.

The hard-charging veteran is well aware of how such things can be derailed, and that is what he’ll be looking to do when he steps in against the talented young prospect in the main event at Fight Night 53.

“As far as hype is concerned, I don’t get caught up in it,” Story said. “I know Gunnar is great and he has hype for a reason. He’s doing the right things and people are seeing the greatness that he brings. I’m not going to take anything away from that or any of the hype that he has, but I’m definitely going to make him realize what it’s like fighting the upper echelon in the welterweight division.

“I don’t think he’s faced anyone like me who can go in with their head down and charge. There aren’t many people who will do that. There could be a situation where he has the advantage, then all of a sudden it changes from a fight into a brawl. When it turns into a brawl things get messy and technique goes out the window. I can take a good shot. I can go in with that confidence and go in and try to hit him as hard as I can if that situation comes up.

“I’m sure experience will play a factor, but to what level I don’t know,” he responded when asked about the difference in UFC experience between them. “It always plays a factor, but it depends on how focus you come into a fight. That’s going to be on his shoulders. I know I’m focused. I’m comfortable. It’s a five-round fight, and while I’ve only done that once in my career, I’m pretty confident in my conditioning if I need to go that far.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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UFC Booking Alert: “The Korean Zombie” Returns to the Octagon Against Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53

Chang Sung Jung is back! He’s been out of commission for over a year, but he’s finally just been booked for a fight. He’ll be facing Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53 in Sweden. The card takes place on October 4th.

This will be the card’s co-main event.

Jung hasn’t fought since August 2013 at UFC 163. He lost to Jose Aldo in the fourth round via TKO–a fight in which “The Korean Zombie” dislocated his shoulder. The injury has sidelined him ever since. Before that fight, Jung had wowed audiences with a three-fight, three-finish winning streak over the likes of Leonard Garcia (when beating him still meant something), Mark Hominick, and Dustin Poirier. The fight against Corassani is an excellent chance for Jung to rebound (and maybe score another submission via twister).

(Photo via Getty)

Chang Sung Jung is back! He’s been out of commission for over a year, but he’s finally just been booked for a fight. He’ll be facing Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53 in Sweden. The card takes place on October 4th.

This will be the card’s co-main event.

Sweden’s Akira Corassani is also coming off a loss. Dustrin Poirier outworked and overpowered him at the TUF: Nations finale back in April. Corassani’s loss to Poirier snapped a three-fight winning streak (though one of those wins was due to Maximo Blanco disqualifying himself via an illegal knee, whatever).

Both fighters are currently 3-1 in the UFC. What a marketing angle that could be. “Somebody’s 3-1 has got to go!”

Seriously though, this is an interesting match that goes along with an equally interesting main event: Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story.

A Fight Night card with more than one match worth watching. What a treat!

We’ll post more UFC Fight Night 53 updates as we get them.

GIF-Ranking the Bevy of Fights to Be Booked Today, August 7th, By Interest Level

(So *that’s* what Amir’s been up to these past few years? That poor, poor man…)

You might not know this, but the UFC needs to book a fight approximately every 3.5 seconds in order to pull off hosting as many cards as it does these days. And with fighters going down to injury every 5-6 seconds, the UFC is all but forced to inflate its already bloated roster (or keep some fighters around way, way too long) with less than experienced fighters to make up the difference. Hence, Royston Wee.

In the past 12 hours, a half dozen or so fights have been booked for just these reasons. Most of them promise to be entertaining affairs. Some of them, not so much. Hence, gifs. Let’s get started.

Chan Sung Jung vs. Akira Corassani — Fight Night Sweden

Although not officially confirmed, it looks like we will finally see “The Korean Zombie” return to the octagon for the first time since being broken to pieces in his four round smash-up with Jose Aldo at UFC 163. According to reports, Jung will face TUF 14 alum and Swedish native Akira Corassani at Fight Night 53 on October 4th.

Corassani has also had a rough go of things lately — back in November, he scored a victory via DQ against Maximo Blanco at the TUF 18 Finale when a blitzkrieg of illegal knees rendered him unable to continue. He was then legally smashed up by Dustin Poirier in the second round of a back-and-forth, “Fight of the Night”-earning effort at the TUF Nations Finale. At the very minimum, someone is going to have something broken in this fight, which makes this ranking obvious:

(So *that’s* what Amir’s been up to these past few years? That poor, poor man…)

In the past 12 hours, a half dozen or so fights have been booked for just these reasons. Most of them promise to be entertaining affairs. Some of them, not so much. Hence, gifs. Let’s get started.

Chan Sung Jung vs. Akira Corassani — Fight Night Sweden

Amir Sadollah vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama — Fight Night Japan

Speaking of long layoffs, Amir Sadollah had probably spent more time nursing injuries over the past…entirety of his UFC career than he has been competing. He hasn’t fought since dropping a decision to Dan Hardy in September of 2012 and has dropped two of his past three overall, but thanks to Kyle Noke going down with an injury of his own, the TUF 7 winner’s return has been bumped up from October 4th (where he was scheduled to face Nico Muskoke) to September 20th at Fight Night 52: Nelson vs. Hunt.

Sadollah will be facing none other than Yoshihiro Akiyama, who himself has not fought since 2012 and has dropped his past 4 fights in a row. This fight should probably not be ranked above Jung vs. Corassani, but it’s my list and I’ll be damned if any of you are going to put a damper my chance to see some sweet Judo throws. Ranking:

Bryan Caraway vs. Raphael Assuncao – Fight Night Halifax

One one hand, both Caraway and Assuncao have been on absolute killing sprees as of late, with the former picking up submission wins in 4 of his last 5 contests and the latter being the last man to defeat current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. On the other, seeing Caraway’s face on my television screen not only reminds me of what a class-A douche he seems to be at times, but of the fact that win or lose, he gets to come home to this. God damn you, Caraway, you lucky son of a B. Ranking:

Mike Pyle vs. Jordan Mein — Fight Night Tulsa

With Demian Maia injured, Canadian prospect Jordan Mein has agreed to step in on late notice in the co-main event of Fight Night 49 on August 23rd to take on journeyman Mike Pyle. Both guys recently bounced back from TKO losses to Matt Brown in 2013 with a decision win over Hernani Perpétuo and a third round TKO over TJ Waldburger, respectively. While a win won’t exactly place either in line for a title shot, Mein and Pyle are highly entertaining fighters with excellent gas tanks, solid submission skills, and knockout power. Not a bad fight at all, especially for an injury replacement. Ranking:

Ian McCall vs. John Lineker — TBD

According to MMAFighting, the UFC is eyeing a #1 flyweight contender bout between Ian McCall and John Lineker for the end of the year at an event TBD. It will mark quite a turnaround for “Uncle Creepy”, who started his UFC career with a draw and back-to-back losses before stringing together his current two-fight win streak via unanimous decisions over Iliarde Santos and Brad Pickett.

Linker, on the other hand, has scored TKO victories in five of his past six bouts, most recently bouncing back from a defeat to Ali Bagautinov in their #1 contender bout at UFC 169 with a third round TKO over Alptekin Ozkilic in a wild scrap at Fight Night 45. The bout marked just the second occasion Lineker has been able to make weight in his past four contests. Let’s hope he can stay away from the Bis prior to this one, as a fight between these two will likely resemble what its like when I play with toy boats in the bathtub. Ranking:

Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story — Fight Night Sweden

The UFC needs a high-ranking Swede for their return to Stockholm at Fight Night 53. Gunnar Nelson is one such Swede, and came out relatively unscathed from his second round submission of Zak Cummings back at Fight Night 46 (where he picked up his second “Performance of the Night” award in the process). And maybe it’s just me, but he seems to possess the kind of charisma capable of carrying/promoting the UFC’s second most stacked Fight Night card since two weekends ago. High praise, I know.

His opponent will be Rick Story, who is fresh off a submission win of his own at Fight Night 45 and is easily the most experienced opponent Nelson has faced in his MMA career. His loss via brain juicing at the hands of Demian Maia also proved that he is in fact capable of being submitted, so either way, this should be a great fight that will tell a lot about the future of both fighters. Ranking:

Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson — Fight Night Sweden

Oh. Fuck. Yes.

While not yet made official, the UFC is apparently targeting Swanson vs. Edgar to headline Fight Night Sweden. The fight was originally being looked at for December, but with the Stockholm card not yet having a main event, this fight would be perfect. Edgar most recently beat up a geriatric cancer patient in a BJ Penn costume at the TUF 19 Finale and Swanson last put an end to Jeremy Stephens‘ featherweight title run via a unanimous decision win at Fight Night 44 back in June.

Here’s the thing: Fight Night Sweden looks like it will be held on Fight Pass. I cannot tell you how enraged I am at the idea of placing a fight this good on a Fight Pass card in Sweden and not a PPV here in the States. It’s a bitchslap to the UFC’s loyal fanbase is what it is, and the combination of rage and excitement makes this a hard one to accurately gif. But when all else fails, The Wire succeeds, so I’ll just go with this one.

–J. Jones

Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller — Liveblogging the Fights You Actually Care About

(Looks like McConaughey is still struggling to put that Dallas Buyers Club weight back on. Photo via Getty.)

‘Sup, Nation. Danga here. I’ll be handling liveblogging duties for tonight’s Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller card, and this is in no way influenced by the fact that I’ve been missing work the past couple of days due to a horrendous mix of consumption, rickets, and spina bifida (I have the same doctor as Tito Ortiz). Anyways, some of the fights on tonight’s card look entertaining enough. Some do not. I will be liveblogging the former. I’m not sure how many yet, but I’ll be sure to fill the dead air with whimsical musings and shower thought-worthy topics of discussion.

In the evening’s main event, veteran badasses Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller will likely engage in a Fight of the Night-earning effort. It will be described as both “sick” and “epic” by the experts on Twitter. Who you like in this fight may very well boil down to your stance on micro vs. mainstream beer — We all know Cerrone is a Budweiser fan, whereas Miller is not some shwill-sipping charlatan who lacks taste buds and therefore prefers his own brand of microbrew. Guess who I’m rooting for. Join me, maybe?

(Looks like McConaughey is still struggling to put that Dallas Buyers Club weight back on. Photo via Getty.)

I should be honest with you Taters; I haven’t been absent for most of this week due to a combination of consumption, rickets, and spina bifida. I have, however, been locked in a three day battle of wills with Microsoft tech support that tested my will to live and resulted in no less than three racially-driven rants aimed at Indians.

I’m not racist, it’s just that I get frustrated when my source of income suddenly stops working and the person trying to explain to me what’s wrong with it speaks at 148 words/second through a headpiece that sounds more like a potato than a device used for human communication. I guess it’s more of a language barrier thing than a race thing. Glad I could clear that up for you.

I’m not going to play-by-play it, but Lucas Martins is about to knock the shit out of Alex White. It’s inevitable.

I was mistaken. Martins is fading fast.

Nevermind, I was right. Martins just blistered White with a right hand. White looked like he was trying to answer an imaginary phone call on the way down.

Back to my story, the worst part of which is that it wasn’t even a crucial part of my computer that started malfunctioning. Three days ago, my Microsoft Office suite shit the bed. All my documents, invoices, rough drafts of love letters I wrote in blood to Ellie Kemper, etc. gone. After several attempts to reinstall it, I call up Microsoft to see what the f*ck the deal is. They tell me that they’re going to need remote access to my computer to fix it, which is a concept that freaks me right the f*ck out, but whatever, I hand it over.

Actually, that’s not true. First they told me that the warranty on my Office suite had expired, because of course it had, and I could either pay $99 to fix the problem and receive a whole month’s coverage, or pay $150 to fix it and receive a year’s coverage. What a deal, Microsoft, you covetous whores! I bend over a barrel and pay the $150.

I guess John Lineker actually made weight for his fight with Alptekin Ozkilic, so what the hell, I’ll liveblog this one.

John Lineker vs. Alptekin Ozkilic

Round 1: Lineker with a nice right to the body to start things off. Lineker with a right upstairs that sends Alpy (I’m calling him Alpy for short) back on his heels. Alpy with a shot and he gets Lineker’s back with one hook in. Alpy on top now in side control, then half guard. Alpy with an inside leg kick. They’re giving Alpy’s coach his own camera, as if we can’t already hear him in this empty arena. Nice right hand by Alpy, and Linker is coming up short. Nice leg kick by Alpy. After a wild exchange, Lineker shoots and gets Alpy down for a second. Good round, but I’d probably give it to the Turkish Delight.

Round 2: Nice left hook by Alpy. Lineker is swinging wild, and lands a nice uppercut. Left hook Alpy. Pair of jabs for Lineker. Alpy’s left jhook is finding its mark all day. Starting to hate that I’m calling him Alpy, but there’s no turning back now. Like I’m going to type Ozkilic a million times in a row. Nice combo, then a leg kick from Lineker. Pair of body shots from Lineker that dig in deep. God damn does Lineker throw hard. Lineker is just ripping the torso of Alpy, who isn’t fazed in the slightest. Again with the coach cam. Right hand Lineker, then another overtop. Lineker ends with a takedown and a flurry and easily takes the round.

Round 3: Lineker firing away at the body to start. God damn this is a brawl, both men are just throwing everything. Alpy is hurt! Linker is all over him. Lineker stuffs a takedown and lands a counter left. Lineker is putting his jab right where it needs to be, not giving Alpy a second to breathe. Sickening smack signals another body shot for Lineker. Alpy is going to be pissing blood tomorrow morning, but he is one tough SOB. Body shot, body shot, and go figure, body shot by Lineker. Left hook Lineker. Alpy answers. Brutal body shot by Lineker, and these two continue to trade combos. Uppercut Lineker. Lineker with a left hook that sends Alpy crashing to the mat! It’s all over!

God damn, what a fight and what a finish. Glad I chose to liveblog it.

John Lineker def. Alptekin Özkiliç via TKO (punches), round 3, 4:51

My Microsoft Office story, pt. 3ish: They started working on my computer around 10 a.m. on Monday. Or maybe it was 9 a.m. I’ve been in the depths of an ether binge since they began, so the time has gotten away from me. Anyways, I figured it’ll take them 20 minutes, 40 minutes tops to fix an error that was likely caused by my own stupidity. For a guy who writes on the internet for a living, I am about as up-to-date on current technology as 1930’s photographer. I just upgraded to a smart phone last week for Christ’s sake.

Two hours later, no progress has been made. The same error message is popping up every time the tech support lady tries to reinstall Office, and eventually she tells me that my case is being “elevated.” Surely, she had found the extensive archives of amputee pornography stashed in my special downloads folder (I call it my “secure files area”) and was informing the FBI. I spend the night awaiting the red and blue sirens of a cruel and crooked justice system.

The next day, I schedule a callback for 4:30 p.m. I figure I can get most of my work done before then. But go figure, it’s a shit day for news and by the time 4:30 comes rolling around, I’ve done one article for CP, one for our partner site, Holy Taco, and one for Screenjunkies. I wanted to write a tribute to Angels in the Outfield, which turned 20 yesterday, but the time has come for today’s repairs and I am helpless to this buttfuckery.

I will not be liveblogging Salas vs. Proctor, if you haven’t guessed. It’s a pretty good scrap so far, though.

So I get a phone call from Microsoft Office, and it’s the same lady. Poonam, I believe her name is. I find this interesting, because her inability to fix my computer the day before and decision to elevate my status should have placed me in line for a more qualified software repair person, I figure. A man, more specifically.

Joe Proctor’s face appears to have lodged a golf ball into the side of his head between rounds, BTW. Is his coach Al Czervik? I do not know.

My thrilling recollection of the battle with Microsoft Office shall continue after Rick Story vs. Guy Without Wiki page.

Rick Story vs. Leonardo Mafra

Round 1: Story starts with a left. Four punch combo for Mafra and Story responds with a takedown. Sharp elbows from Story in the guard. Mafra’s open guard places a real emphasis on the “open” part. He gets to his feet and throws a knee from the clinch, only to immediately be taken back down by Story. This is going to be one of those fights where one guy (Mafra) will need to uncork a miracle combo in the brief moments he’ll be on his feet to win. Story pecking away from the top. Mafra gets to his feet with 30 seconds left, aaaaaaand he’s down.

Round 2: Nice left hook-body shot combo from Mafra, then a body kick. Story shoots on a deep single and gets it, but only temporarily. Story with a slam now and that’ll probably be it for Mafra this round. Story working a kimura, then gets the mount. Remember when Demian Maia squeezed himself a fresh glass of Horror Story Brain Juice? New band name, called i-Arm triangle Story! It’s dunzo.

Rick Story def. this Mafra character by arm-triangle, 2:12 of Round 2.

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom (Microsoft Offices),

So Poonam tells me that she needs to install some updates and that it’s going to take 3 hours at the minimum to do so. Fuck. Me.

I go for a run, get a haircut, start a grocery store soccer mom riot by announcing that Tom Brady has been spotted in the natural foods aisle (I live in Boston), and head home. It has been 2 hours and 15 minutes.

For the next four hours, I watch in horror as Poonam continues to fail in her fastidious trials to end my minute suffering. My computer reboots and shuts off, reboots and shuts off — a bigmouth bass gasping for air in the depleted cesspool that has become my existence. What can I do?-SHIT THE NEXT FIGHT’S STARTING ALREADY.

Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza

Round 1: They trade rights to start. Leg kick Barboza, and my leg just twitched. My leg. Left hand Dunham, who eats a counter left in return. Evan shoots but gets soundly denied. Dunham’s putting a ton into his shots. Brutal body kick crumples Dunham! A few follow up punches and that is it!

Replay shows that Edson was able to crush Dunham with his toe. His f*cking toe. I was going to say that the kick was very Rockhold vs. Philippou-esque, but I think I just witnessed the first TKO via scratchy toenails in UFC history.

Barboza def. Dunham via TKO, 3:06, round 1

It’s close to 10:30 by the time the updates finish. Poonam has long since left. I am a literal steam engine of fury. I shut down my computer and walk away, refusing to look back at it. As if the computer is somehow responsible for my woes. As if my EXTENSIVE ARCHIVES OF AMPUTEE PORNOGRAPHY aren’t probably the root cause of whatever virus/glitch is preventing Poonam from completing what should be a pedestrain installation of Microsoft f*cking Office.

They’re replaying the Smith vs. Duke fight from the prelims. Spoiler: Duke’s underwater-speed punches do not lead her to victory. I kid, Duke seems like a nice lady.

We set a callback time for 2 p.m the next day. This day. This is the third straight day of work required to fix my computer, if anyone’s counting. Now Poonam tells me she’s uninstalling, then reinstalling my entire Windows system. All this, for Microsoft Word and Excel.

It takes another four and a half hours for this process to finish. I have cleaned my entire apartment and beaten Halo 3 in that time. Poonam logs back in and attempts one. final. installation of the Office. The bar gets to its usual place (around 60%) and stops dead. It doesn’t move, but it hasn’t shown the error message yet either.

“It’s going to fail, Jared” I think to myself. “You know it’s going to fail. Error 1402. Something something contact Microsoft support. Go. F*ck. Yourself.”

But like that moment in Rescue Dawn when Christian Bale’s character first notices the rescue chopper and collapses to his knees in joy, the bar shoots all the way to 100%. I legitimately start crying, then punch myself in the leg and huff some duster, cause we all know cryin’s for pussies.

Main event time!

Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller

Donald Cerrone drinks Bud heavys and listens to Kid Rock. Jim Miller brews his own beer and listens to CCR. The better man is obvious here.

Round 1: Knee to the body by Cerrone. Left hook by Miller, then a body shot. Man, has MMA learned that body shots are awesome all of a sudden? Because that would be great. Miller with some more hard shots, and Cerrone looks a little stunned. Then again, he’s a notoriously slow starter. Miller with a left hand and gets it to the mat. Cerrone back to his feet. Right hand Cerrone. Miller responds and another big knee by Cowboy. Miller pushes Cerrone to the fence and throws some knees to Cerrone’s inner thigh. The takedown is immediately reversed by Cerrone. Miller has a small cut under his right eye. Now Cerrone’s looking for the takedown but can’t get it. Miller catches Cerrone coming in with a right. They slug it out till the bell.

Round 2: Straight left by Miller. Leg kick on the end of a combo for Miller, and Cerrone nails him right in the dick. Wait, what the fuck is Dan Miragliotta doing? He stops the fight then says it wasn’t a shot to the groin and continues it. What the shit was that? Cerrone searching for body kicks now, in any case. Miller’s still hurting from that body shot, but is swinging for the fences when Cerrone comes in for the kill. Takedown no good for Miller. Head kick Cerrone. Miller with an overhand left. Head kick Cerrone drops Miller! He’s down and out! Holy shit!

Donald Say-ro-neh just earned himself yet another performance bonus. As should everyone on this card, pretty much. Seriously, there were 9 finishes tonight, and six out of six on the main card. And on the one night I decide to liveblog.

Donald Cerrone def. Jim Miller via KO (head kick), 3:31 of Round 2

Am I saying that my battle with Microsoft tech support set into motion a chain of events that ended in the most exciting UFC card in some time? Yes, I am saying that.

You can doubt my ability to will an awesome night of fights into existence all you want, but right now, Microsoft Word is running on my computer. And I’m just staring at a blank page, soaking in its beautiful, mundane glory. All you haters can go flip.

To those of you who joined me for this trip into the mind of madness/occasional liveblog, I thank you. Goodnight, Tater Nation.

UFC: Rick Story and 5 Other Journeymen No One Wants to Fight

The UFC is a dangerous place.
It’s a proving ground for the toughest, most skilled martial artists on Earth. If you’re not one of the 500 baddest dudes (or dudettes) on the globe, you probably have no business being there.
A direct result of that is th…

The UFC is a dangerous place.

It’s a proving ground for the toughest, most skilled martial artists on Earth. If you’re not one of the 500 baddest dudes (or dudettes) on the globe, you probably have no business being there.

A direct result of that is that there are no nights off. While some leagues or sports may boast that, it is very much a reality in the UFC. When you enter the cage, the individual across from you has all the tools required to break your jaw or separate you from your senses.

Some such individuals get overlooked, though. They lose a few or slip down to the preliminary card for a little while, and suddenly they’re labeled “journeymen.”

Well, those folks are dangerous too.

Here are a few that no one is thrilled about fighting.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night: Rick Story Is in Need of a Big Win

Rick Story knows the value of wins and losses within the UFC’s Octagon. On Wednesday, the fighter known as “The Horror” will step into the cage for fight No. 16. He’s an athlete that’s put together a string of impressive performan…

Coming into his fight with Leonardo Mafra Teixeira, it’s imperative the one-time welterweight contender puts on a display that leaves the fans and UFC matchmakers clamoring to see more of “The Horror” in action.

Story will walk into the Octagon with a 9-5 record that dates back to his promotional debut at UFC 99 in 2009. He bounced back from a decision loss to John Hathaway to go on a run that quickly grabbed the attention of the mixed martial arts community. Two years later, Story’s six-fight win streak had him on the cusp of a title eliminator contest.

That would be until Charlie Brenneman stepped into the picture and pulled out what could have been the upset of 2011 on extreme short notice. That night was a major turning point in Story’s career, as he’d struggled to gain any traction within the welterweight division.

In the years that have followed his defeat at UFC Life 4, Story has exchanged wins for losses. In each outing, it’s very difficult to predict exactly which Rick Story is going to show up. Three of the four losses that he’s suffered were split decisions in which he performed well, but not good enough to get the nod at the end of the night. What’s interesting is that Story has shown flashes of greatness in competition.

Current UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is well aware of what Rick can do, as he’s one of only two UFC fighters to defeat the titleholder. This coming fight against Teixeira is vital to Story’s career because anything less can see him jettisoned from the organization.

“He may be in need of a win in the worst way,” wrote Michael Drahota of MMA Mania. “The talent is there; he just has to put forth a decisive performance in the Octagon.”

The 170-pound division is wide open for Story to put together a run that can relaunch his career. As Hendricks sits on the shelf, the UFC is still unsure of how the group of contenders will shake out. Robbie Lawler versus Matt Brown at UFC on Fox 12 is a No. 1 contender’s bout, but after that, the division is wide open. If Story puts on an impressive win this Wednesday, he can start the hype train running in the right direction.

Rick Story is pressed to put together a run at UFC Fight Night. He was once known as a capable contender within the welterweight division, but his recent slump can see him sent from the promotion with another loss. He will need a strong performance to bring an end to the horror that has seen him consistently trade wins and losses.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com