Tag: Rick Story

Nate Diaz Gets His Rubber Match With Gray Maynard, Doesn’t Want a Rubber Match With Gray Maynard


(Word has it that Dana White responded to Diaz by telling him to “quit being such a fag and fight already.” Photo via Diaz’s twitter.)

Having suffered back-to-back defeats to Ben Henderson and Josh “Bitch Ass Lady Sounds” Thomson — the latter of which was the first TKO loss in his MMA career — you wouldn’t think that Nate Diaz would be in the position to start picking and choosing who he fights next. That is, after all, a right reserved exclusively for self-matchmaker extraordinaire Chael P. Sonnen. That Diaz was also recently fined and “suspended” for making offensive statements on Twitter* would further the belief that he should perhaps keep his nose to the grindstone for the time being, but a Diaz wants what a Diaz wants and that is usually weed or a fight they don’t deserve.

As such, when Nate found out he was once again being paired against Gray Maynard, he posted the above to his Twitter account. While it’s not that shocking that he would call out Pettis, it is shocking that a Diaz would seemingly turn down a fight against a guy who narrowly defeated him in their last contest. Or anyone, for that matter.

But as of this write up, Maynard and Diaz are still set to do battle at the TUF 18 Finale on November 30th. The fight will serve as a rubber match of sorts between the two, as Maynard was submitted by Diaz in an exhibition bout during the TUF 5 semifinals but went on to score a lackluster split decision over Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20 in 2010. So…advantage Diaz, we guess?


(Word has it that Dana White responded to Diaz by telling him to “quit being such a fag and fight already.” Photo via Diaz’s twitter.)

Having suffered back-to-back defeats to Ben Henderson and Josh “Bitch Ass Lady Sounds” Thomson — the latter of which was the first TKO loss in his MMA career — you wouldn’t think that Nate Diaz would be in the position to start picking and choosing who he fights next. That is, after all, a right reserved exclusively for self-matchmaker extraordinaire Chael P. Sonnen. That Diaz was also recently fined and “suspended” for making offensive statements on Twitter* would further the belief that he should perhaps keep his nose to the grindstone for the time being, but as the saying goes, “A Diaz wants what a Diaz wants and that is usually weed or a fight they don’t deserve.”

As such, when Nate found out he was once again being paired against Gray Maynard, he posted the above to his Twitter account. While it’s not that shocking that he would call out Pettis, it is shocking that a Diaz would seemingly turn down a fight against a guy who narrowly defeated him in their last contest. Or anyone, for that matter.

But as of this write up, Maynard and Diaz are still set to do battle at the TUF 18 Finale on November 30th. The fight will serve as a rubber match of sorts between the two, as Maynard was submitted by Diaz in an exhibition bout during the TUF 5 semifinals but went on to score a lackluster split decision over Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20 in 2010. So…advantage Diaz, we guess?

Similar to his TUF 5 counterpart, Maynard is also coming off a tough TKO loss — to T.J. Grant at UFC 160. The first round finish was impressive enough to earn Grant a shot at Ben Henderson and now Anthony Pettis, so expect Maynard to come out with something to prove against Diaz this time around.

In other booking news, the struggling Donald Cerrone (I really don’t like how that sounds) has already set a date for his next comeback fight. Despite suffering a rather lopsided beatdown at the hands of Rafael Dos Anjos less than two weeks ago at Fight Night 27, Cerrone was not medically suspended by the Indiana Gaming Commission and has been given the go-ahead to face Evan Dunham at UFC 167 in November. Dunham is also 1-2 in his past 3, having sandwiched a split decision win over Gleison Tibau between decision losses to T.J. Grant and Rafael Dos Anjos. Getting awfully narrow, this lightweight division is.

And finally, Brian Ebersole — he of the hairrow and the cartwheel kick – has been booked against Rick Story, also at UFC 167. We haven’t heard a peep from Ebersole ever since he dropped a short-notice fight to James Head at UFC 149, snapping an 11 fight win streak in the process. The Indiana native has been battling injuries for over a year and will be given no easy return test in Story, who is also coming off a decision loss — this one to Mike Pyle at UFC 160.

Arguably the most stacked card of the year, UFC 167: St. Pierre vs. Hendricks goes down from the MGM Grand on November 16th and features a heavyweight do-or-die fight between Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem and a welterweight showdown pitting Rory MacDonald against Robbie Lawler, among several other fantastic fights.

*Meanwhile, War Machine continues to tweet horrific things with no repercussions whatsoever. Another home run, eh Bjorn? 

–J. Jones

UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 — FX Prelims Liveblog


(Mike Tyson‘s first night as Dana White’s bodyguard was also his last. / Photo via the UFC 160 weigh-in photos gallery on MMAFighting.com)

The FX Prelims broadcast for UFC 160 kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and our man Anthony Gannon will be laying down live round-by-round results after the jump. So will Khabib Nurmagomedov redeem himself after shitting the bed at yesterday’s weigh-ins? Can Mike Pyle enter the four-fight win streak club? And which obscure TUF winner will we have to start caring about, Colton Smith or Robert Whittaker? Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and use the comments section to let us know you’re here.


(Mike Tyson‘s first night as Dana White’s bodyguard was also his last. / Photo via the UFC 160 weigh-in photos gallery on MMAFighting.com)

The FX Prelims broadcast for UFC 160 kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and our man Anthony Gannon will be laying down live round-by-round results after the jump. So will Khabib Nurmagomedov redeem himself after shitting the bed at yesterday’s weigh-ins? Can Mike Pyle enter the four-fight win streak club? And which obscure TUF winner will we have to start caring about, Colton Smith or Robert Whittaker? Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and use the comments section to let us know you’re here.

What up, Potato Nation? In honor of Memorial Day – as we pass the time chugging beers and stuffing our diabetic faces with Ball Park franks – let us pay homage to those who made the supreme sacrifice so we could be free to live our disgustingly gluttonous lives. That being said, before we dive into tonight’s action, a little reflection is in order.

The bloodiest war in American history – some of you know it as the Civil War; others, the War of Northern Aggression – brought this noble holiday upon us. Whatever you wish to call it, the fact remains that it was a real fucked up war. Memorial Day was born of that fucked up war as a day to remember the greater than 600,000 Americans who died in it. It’s since become a day to honor those who died in all wars – well, technically. In reality it’s a day off work where we eat, drink, and buy shit on sale. So it’s really no surprise that the true meaning of the holiday has been lost on so many.

But still, you’d think the name alone, Memorial, would at least lead a person to venture an educated guess. Not so much. This video right here some shameful shit. Luckily though, part of being a free person includes the liberty to be as ignant as you damn well please.

God bless America! Now let’s get it poppin’ up in this bitch.

If you missed the weigh-ins last night do check it out. Just peep Mike Tyson in the picture above and tell me what you see, well besides the psychotic facial tat. My man is sporting all white, like all white, down to his kicks. Normally I spend the weigh-ins in deep philosophical contemplation about who has the most little bumps on their areolas: Arianny, Britney, or Joe Silva. This time I couldn’t divert my attention from Tyson’s absurd wardrobe. Trust me, it’s a surreal must-see.

Well, at least we got us some MMA to make sense of this shit. And in case I forget later, WAR MARK HUNT!

Here’s what went down on Facebook:

Jeremy Stephens defeated Estevan Payan by unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-26, 30-27.

George Roop blasted Brian Bowles for a 2nd round TKO.

Stephen Thompson beat Nah-Shon Burrell by unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Abel Trujillo starts us off on FX.

Two very promising prospects here. Khabib is 3-0 in the UFC, while Trujillo impressed in his debut back in December by demolishing Marcus LeVessuer with knees to the body that were downright criminal.

Khabib missed weight by 3 ½ pounds. Sucks for him. He chose to forfeit 20% of his purse rather than take additional years off his life by futilely trying to make the limit. Wise decision. The NSAC will get half of the fine, while his opponent will get the other half. Based on his last disclosed purse – a 10/10 contract – that would amount to $2000 in Trujillo’s pockets if he loses, $1000 is he wins. Considering Trujillo’s last purse was the dreaded 6/6, every little bit helps.

Round 1: Trujillo opens with a huge hook, misses. Misses another. Charges forward and lands a shot on Khabib. Trujillo lands a takedown, Khabib working from guard, going for an armbar. Trujillo degending so far, but he’s in a sucky position. Ok, he’s free. Khabib is up, then trips Trujillo to the ground. He stands up, but Khabib is stuck to his back. Takes him down again. Lands a knee to the ribs. Khabib tosses him to the ground again, Trujillo stands right back up. And again. And again. And Jesus H Christ, again. Trujillo reverses, now he’s on top. Khabib in guard, working a triangle. Uh-oh! Now he’s on top with the hold locked on. He’s looking to switch to an armbar, goes back to the triangle, but the round ends, Trujillo survives. 10-9 Khabib

Round 2: Trujillo whiffs a huge shot, Khabib takes his back standing again. Takes him down, but Trujillo spins out. They’re up. Khabib lands a nice shot, now on his back again, trips him to the ground, has his back, working some knees to the Charlie horse area. Now to the midsection. He gets a hook in now, has a body triangle, going for the choke. Khabib lets go of the body triangle, but Khabib is still on him. He hoists him up again and drops him. Look at this, Trujillo spins out again, but they scramble and get back to the feet. Khabib takes his ass down again, riding his back. Trujillo gets up, and guess what? Yep, Khabib drags him down yet again. A couple shots from behind from Khabib. The round ends with a clear 10-9 for Khabib.

Round 3: Here we go, final round. Trujillo begins by missing a huge shot again, seems to be the opener of choice for him. Khabib is handling him in the grappling department again, riding his back as they trade takedowns for stand ups. Khabib with some nice knees to the ribs. Trujillo is looking to Mario Yamasaki for help. What he wants here is a mystery seeing. Khabib on top now, lands a short elbow. Khabib isn’t really doing much damage, but he is dominating Trujillo here. More and more takedowns. Trujillo doesn’t even seem to know he’s in a fight. Oh, big slam by Khabib to end the fight. 10-8 Khabib.

Trujillo represented the Blackzilians in that one.

The decision is in, and it’s exactly what you’d expect, unanimous, 30-27 across the board.

Not exactly a red hot way to begin the evening, luckily Colton Smith is up next to heat this shit up.

Colton Smith and Robert Whittaker are up. Two TUF winners here, but really, does anyone actually give a shit about that anymore? I propose we strike that term from the record.

Anyway, nothing better to weaken your buzz and produce an incredible soft-on than a Colton Smith fight. He’s a stick-to-your-ribs wrestler, and, well that’s about it. The problem for anyone who cannot counter that ability is that Colton doesn’t give a scintilla of a shit how aesthetically brutal his fights are. He’s here to win. Hey, can’t fault a fellow for that. No logic in stand and bang when that clearly aint your thang.

It’s all about recognizing strengths and weaknesses and formulating a plan of attack that maximizes the probability of success. Omar would never have been able to take on the Barksdales, Prop Joe, Marlo Stanfield, or anyone else for that matter if he didn’t utilize that formula. His greatest strength was not his cantaloupe sized nuts. It was his patience in reconnaissance. Omar would sit on a stash house, corner or foe for days on end, weeks if need be until he knew every nook and cranny of his target. That was the key to his success. Colton’s strength is to take a fool down and ride out the 15 minutes. I’d bet one of Omar’s substantial testicles that’s exactly what Colton’s going to do here.

Round 1: Here we go. Whittaker has his hands very low. Colton shoots, nice, Whittaker defends. High kick by Colton misses. Colton jumps in, gets tagged. Whittaker with a jab, Colton blocks it with his forehead. Colton lands a nice right hand. Whittaker responds with a right of his own. Nice combo by Whittaker. Leg kick by Colton. Whittaker misses a left hook. Colton misses another high kick. Whittaker sticks a nice jab. Colton throws three rights in a row, misses every one of them. Whittaker stuffs another takedown. Nice TD defense, thank God. Whittaker jumps in, lands a decent shot. Colton responds with a hard shot of his own. And Colton drops him with a big right, working a Kimura. Takes him down with it, but Whittaker is up. Close round. 10-9 Whittaker

Round 2: Colton eats a huge left hook to start things off, he’s hurt. Whittaker lets him off the hook. Colton’s right eye is swollen. Colton lands a decent shot, then a straight right. Counter left by Whittaker. Colton charges in, Whittaker backs him up with a shot to the grill. Big right by Colton skims Whittaker. They exchange, Whittaker takes one in the nads. They continue. Colton with a right, then a kick to the body. Colton eats a couple as he wades in. Front kick misses by Colton. Big left by Whittaker, Colton’s face is a disaster. Whittaker lands another. Oof, Colton eats several upper cuts. Whittaker turning it up as the round closes. 10-9 Whittaker

Round 3: Colton looks like a thin Sloth, he’s banged up. Whittaker opens with a left, then drops Colton and descends on him. The ref steps in and ends it, kind of a questionable stoppage there. He was hurt, no doubt, but not finished by any means.

The official decision is in, and it’s a TKO in round three for Robert Whittaker. Nice win, and great job not letting it turn into a wrestle-hump fest.

Dennis Bermudez vs Max Holloway is up next.

Even though he sports the most pathetically predictable nickname in the biz, Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez has become quite adept at picking up Fight Night bonus checks. Four UFC fights, three checks so far. And if these guys come out and perform as they’re both capable of, this could be another one.

Holloway, at only 21 years of age, is the youngest fighter currently on the UFC roster. He’s a talented striker who’s very rangy for featherweight. If he can stay off his back he’s got a good shot here.

Round 1: Holloway misses a jab, Bermudez misses a straight right. Front kick to the body by Holloway, Bermudez grabs a leg, Holloway defends, lands a nice straight right. Then sticks a jab. Bermudez trying to figure out how to get inside Holloway’s range, eats another jab. Holloway is really working that jab, using his reach very effectively. Bermudez with a leg kick. Combo by Holloway, blocked. Bermudez shoots, Holloway defends. Bermudez has Holloway pressed against the cage, Holloway escapes. Big leg kick by Bermudez. Spinning back kick by Holloway, Bermudez rocked. Knee to the body, Holloway is working him here. Bermudez holding on against the cage for dear life, hoping to recover. Bermudez misses an uppercut, Holloway lands a hige right, then follows with a spinning body kick that looks like it sucked.  Damn, lands another one, then to the head, drops Bermudez. Wow, 10-9 Holloway

Round 2: Bermudez shoots, get sit, but Holloway reverses, takes his back, then backs off with a kick to the face. Damn! Bermudez skims an overhand right, then lands a leg kick. Holloway responds with one of his own, then eats a left hook. Holloway with a jab. High kick by Holloway, blocked. They trade jabs. Hollowat goes hard to the body then lands to the head. Bermudez misses a huge left hook. Holloway lands to the grill. Bermudez lands a hard leg kick. Holloway sticks a combination. Bermudez misses a takedown, but lands an elbow as he presses Holloway into the cage. Holloway responds with an elbow of his own. Holloway with a job, eats another hard leg kick. And another. Holloway throws another spinning kick, barely lands. Bermudez thinks Superman punch, eats another combo. Holloway misses a Matrix kixk. Bermudze gets a takedown, and working in guard. Lands an elbow. Close round. I’d give the edge to Holloway, 10-9

Round 3: They bro hug it out to start things off. Holloway lands to the body, eats a kick to the chops. Bermudze grabs a leg, takes Holloway down. Holloway up, but eats a knee off the break. Holloway goes to the body again. They trade jabs. Jab by Holloway, leg kick by Bermudez. Big right just misses by Bermudez. Jab by Holloway. Bermudez shoots again, gets it, but Holloway pops back up. Kick by Bermudez, blocked. Left lands by Bermudez. Holloway shoots, stuffed. Duel leg kicks by Bermudez, and he lands a takedown. Working from the closed guard, dropping elbows. Nice. Now Holloway has half guard now, but he’s still eating elbows. Bermudze tries to mount, has to settle for half guard again. The round ends with Holloway on top, dropping punches. 10-9 Bermudez

The decision is in, and it’s a split decision for Dennis Bermudez, 29-28 across the board.

Next up we have Mike Pyle vs Rick Story.

Almost two years ago to the day, Rick Story culminated a six fight winning streak by beating Thiago Silva. He was viewed by many as a viable title contender. The sky was the limit for the aggressive youngster from Washington. But then the poor bastard started losing fights: first to Charlie Brenneman, then to Martin Kampmann before a newly minted submission – The Face-Crank of Utter Woe – was invented by Demian Maia and tested on Story. He did, in the spirit of optimism, manage to sandwich a win in there to a guy who no one cares about. Now, coming off a first round starching of Quinn Mulhern, Story is hoping to get back on track to his previous status.

Standing in his way is Mike “King Mullet” Pyle, who at 37 years old is on a sweet hot streak of three first round knockouts, and an overall UFC record that stands at a very respectable 7-3. After ruining James Head with knees in his last outing, Pyle thought he deserved Top 10 billing and all the accoutrement that goes with that, including a Top 10 opponent. While that didn’t happen for him, Story does represent a step up in competition from his previous victims. And while a win wouldn’t exactly put him in the Top 10, it would be one step closer to proving to the world that the Samsonite theory of sporting a ridiculous hairdo is not to be taken lightly in the realm of battle. See Roy Nelson and Ben Henderson.

Round 1: Story takes the center of the cage right off the bat. Pyle lands a knee, Story tosses him to the ground. Story working from Pyle’s guard. Throwing to the body, Pyle working a high guard, looking for submissions. Pyle doing a great job of controlling Story’s posture. He grabs an arm, but Story escapes. Pyle is on his back, but he’s doing a great job of keeping Story busy defending to where he cannot do much damage. Pyle is up. Huge left by Story, then goes hard to the body. Pyle misses a jab. Story whiffs a left. Leg kick by Pyle. Story drops Pyle with a shot, dropping bombs on Pyle. Story is whaling away on Pyle from behind. Pyle survives, but took a beating. 10-9 Story

Round 2: Front kick by Pyle, misses. Huge left by Story, skims Pyle. Story lands a straight left. Pyle clinches and delivers a knee. Story going for a takedown, sticks it. Pyle going for a Kimura. Damn, looks pretty nasty. Story’s arm is free, and he’s in half guard, now full guard. Story can’t get much going from top position, Pyle is defending very well. Pyle looking to push off the cage, Story postures up, but still cannot land anything significant. The natives are getting restless. Story is just kind of laying on Pyle, can’t really do anything. The round ends without much going on. 10-9 Story

Round 3: Softest leg kick ever from Pyle, Story responds with a huge shot to the head. Story goes to the body, Pyle misses a knee. Story looked winded. Pyle lands a front kick. Story answers to the body. Pyle clinches, lands a knee. Then an elbow. Pyle clinches again, Story presses him against the cage. Pyle with another elbow over the top. More elbows from Pyle, and Story is bleeding. Story has Pyle’s back, working some knees to the thigh. The pace has slowed considerably. Story is exhausted, his punches are slow and labored. Pyle is teeing off now, but Story sticks a takedown. Pyle going for an armbar, and sweeps! Beautiful. Pyle has the body triangle, and thr round ends before he could get the submission. 10-9 Pyle

The decision is in, and it’s split. Mike Pyle gets the nod, 29-28.

I like the decision, it means the judges took into consideration that Story, even though on top, did nothing in round two. Nice.

Well that’s it for me, folks. Enjoy the main card. WAR MARK HUNT!

 

 

UFC 160: Rick Story Looking to Bring the Fight to Mike Pyle

Rick Story has something to prove.After breaking through into the upper tier of the welterweight division after defeating Thiago Alves at UFC 130 back in May of 2011, the Vancouver Wa.-based fighter experienced a bit of career turbulence. The six-…

Rick Story has something to prove.

After breaking through into the upper tier of the welterweight division after defeating Thiago Alves at UFC 130 back in May of 2011, the Vancouver Wa.-based fighter experienced a bit of career turbulence. 

The six-fight win streak that carried him into the top 10 rankings was snapped after a chaotic opponent shake-up at UFC on Versus 6 when Charlie Brenneman stepped in for Nate Marquardt after the former middleweight contender failed to received medical clearance for the bout due to elevated levels of testosterone. 

Facing a new opponent on 24 hours notice is a difficult adjustment for any fighter to make, and the end result was Story coming out on the losing end of the affair.

The 28-year-old would go on to lose three of his next four showings. Suddenly, the fighter who handed Johny Hendricks the lone loss of his MMA career and appeared poised to make a title run, looked as if he may never regain the footing to get his career back on track.

When the Team Brave Legion fighter stepped into the Octagon to face Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158, the pressure was on Story to perform. He was determined to not only face the doubt head on, but stop his backslide once and for all. It was a challenge Story answered in brutal fashion as he battered the Strikeforce veteran to earn a first-round stoppage victory.

“It was pretty awesome in the fact that I was able to make that happen,” Story told Bleacher Report. “To have it in your mind and actually going out and doing it are two different things. That fight made it clear in my mind that I have the ability to do it and that I just have to go out there and get it done. 

Looking to keep the momentum alive, the Tacoma native will step in for an injured Gunnar Nelson to face Mike Pyle this Saturday at UFC 160. The savvy veteran is also looking to break through into the welterweight division’s upper-tier, and Story will try to bring Pyle’s current three-fight win streak to an abrupt halt.

“In all of his fights, Pyle is pretty much the same guy,” Story said. “He’s always sticking and moving. It doesn’t matter if it is me fighting him or someone else; it is probably going to be the same Mike Pyle. My style is hard nosed and straight forward. That’s what he’s going to see.

“He’s definitely sharp and has really good counter punches. I have to be ready for everything. His striking is sharp and I definitely have to respect it. He’s also shown in the fights that he’s lost that he doesn’t take punishment very well. And I’m going to try to deal out some punishment to him. Fans can expect to see a tank out there.”

Where trying to work his way up the ladder in the quickest possible fashion once led Story’s career path astray, he’s confident in his steps going forward. The opportunity to fight Pyle may have come on shorter notice than a typical fight-cycle, as there was still plenty of time available for him to fully prepare for the challenges the 37-year-old presents.

This is where he gives credit to his coach Pat White and his Brave Legion Fight Team. With a camp dedicated to making sure Story is ready for what Pyle brings to the table, he believes he’ll have all the tools necessary when the cage door closes in Las Vegas.

“I never really sit and dwell too much,” Story said. “When the opportunity is there, I jump all over it. That’s been the same deal as it’s always been. I never turn down a fight. I want to continue this momentum. It isn’t a three-week turnaround like it was before when I was supposed to fight [Nate] Marquardt. I had more time to prepare. I still had a month off and time to regather my senses and then start training camp. It wasn’t rushed.

“It is a great opportunity for me to catapult myself back into contention. Pyle is a very formidable opponent. He’s well known and has been around for a long time. He’s defeated tough opponents and it’s an opportunity for me to show once again that I belong up at the top of the division.”

A victory over Pyle this Saturday would make a strong case for Story to regain the ground he lost since defeating Alves at UFC 130. Nevertheless, he’s not willing to look too far ahead and has his total focused locked on his opponent this Saturday.

For Story, the ultimate goal is to become a UFC champion. That being said, the past has taught him that steady progression isn’t a bad route to travel, and he’s willing to take his climb back up the ladder one step at a time.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself,” Story said. “I’m not looking past anyone. Getting the victory in my last fight was something I definitely needed to do in order to get my mind right and to take that step in the direction of contendership again. But anytime I start getting ahead of myself, I end up eating my words. I felt good about the last performance. I felt great about it and it provided extra motivation in this training camp to prepare for Pyle. 

“I really don’t think that I am,” Story replied when asked if he feels overlooked in the welterweight picture. “I think because of who I’ve beat and how I’ve performed in the past, that respect is there. Some of my performances were not as good as they could’ve been and I think it’s caused people to wonder which Rick Story is going to show up. If it’s the destructive Rick Story…look out. But if it’s not, then it’s not going to be that exciting. That’s the way I look at it. 

“My last fight was an eye-opener. Something clicked in that fight. It’s like riding a bike where once you’ve done it, you never forget. I guess we’ll find out in my next fight if that is true or not. But I plan on trying to lay some punishment on Pyle.”

 

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Injury Knocks Gunnar Nelson Out of UFC 160; Rick Story to Replace Against Mike Pyle


(And here’s Nelson choking out DaMarques Johnson in his UFC debut and not giving a damn about it one way or the other. / Photo by James Law for FightDay.com)

The UFC’s most promising (and most eerily emotionless) welterweight prospect has just experienced an important rite of passage — his first injury withdrawal. As confirmed by UFC officials, Icelandic grappling phenom Gunnar Nelson will be unable to meet Mike Pyle at UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2, scheduled for May 25th in Las Vegas. According to Gunnar’s father/manager Haraldur Nelson, it’s a knee injury that will require surgery. A timetable for his return hasn’t been announced.

Injuries have actually plagued both of Nelson’s previous UFC fights. His first win in the Octagon came against DaMarques Johnson, who was replacing the injured Pascal Krauss. Nelson’s second win came against Jorge Santiago, who was replacing the injured Justin Edwards. And now, the UFC Injury Demon has gone from teasing Nelson to actually taking a chunk out of his ass, so to speak.

Replacing Nelson against Pyle at UFC 160 will be Rick Story, who most recently TKO’d Strikeforce/KOTC standout Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158 last month. Pyle is coming off a superb 2012 during which he scored first-round KO/TKOs of Ricardo Funch, Josh Neer, and James Head. Pyle vs. Story is expected to be on the FX portion of the 5/25 card.


(And here’s Nelson choking out DaMarques Johnson in his UFC debut and not giving a damn about it one way or the other. / Photo by James Law for FightDay.com)

The UFC’s most promising (and most eerily emotionless) welterweight prospect has just experienced an important rite of passage — his first injury withdrawal. As confirmed by UFC officials, Icelandic grappling phenom Gunnar Nelson will be unable to meet Mike Pyle at UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2, scheduled for May 25th in Las Vegas. According to Gunnar’s father/manager Haraldur Nelson, it’s a knee injury that will require surgery. A timetable for his return hasn’t been announced.

Injuries have actually plagued both of Nelson’s previous UFC fights. His first win in the Octagon came against DaMarques Johnson, who was replacing the injured Pascal Krauss. Nelson’s second win came against Jorge Santiago, who was replacing the injured Justin Edwards. And now, the UFC Injury Demon has gone from teasing Nelson to actually taking a chunk out of his ass, so to speak.

Replacing Nelson against Pyle at UFC 160 will be Rick Story, who most recently TKO’d Strikeforce/KOTC standout Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158 last month. Pyle is coming off a superb 2012 during which he scored first-round KO/TKOs of Ricardo Funch, Josh Neer, and James Head. Pyle vs. Story is expected to be on the FX portion of the 5/25 card.

Gunnar Nelson Out; Rick Story Now Faces Mike Pyle at UFC 160

Top welterweight prospect Gunnar Nelson will have to wait a little longer before he gets to step back into the Octagon for his third fight after suffering an injury that will keep him out of his scheduled bout at UFC 160. The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu bla…

Top welterweight prospect Gunnar Nelson will have to wait a little longer before he gets to step back into the Octagon for his third fight after suffering an injury that will keep him out of his scheduled bout at UFC 160.

The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt was signed to face veteran Mike Pyle on the upcoming card on May 25, but the injury bug bit the Icelander and he’s now forced to the sidelines.

UFC officials announced late on Wednesday night that with Nelson out of the fight, Rick Story will now step in to take his place and face Pyle on the upcoming card.

With 12 UFC fights to his record, Story has been a mainstay in the welterweight division for nearly the last four years.  He’s managed to pick up some very big wins along the way, including a unanimous-decision victory over current UFC welterweight title contender Johny Hendricks.

As a matter of fact, Story is currently the only blemish on Hendricks’ record as he storms toward a title shot later this year.

Meanwhile, Story will look to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2010 and 2011 when he went on a six-fight win streak. During that time, Story defeated several top names including former title challenger Thiago Alves.

Story has fallen on tougher times of late, however, bouncing back and forth between wins and losses over his last four fights. He was submitted by Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia last October but returned with a vengeance in March by blasting through former Strikeforce welterweight Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158.

Following the win, Story immediately began calling for a fight against fellow UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger, whom he defeated back in 2008 as part of the SportFight promotion. 

Story didn’t get his wish, but he will get the chance to compete at UFC 160 against another crafty veteran of the Octagon.

Mike Pyle has faced some of the toughest competition in the division over the past few years, and lately he’s turned into a finishing machine by putting away his last three opponents by knockout or TKO. He will look to keep that streak alive as he also goes for his fourth win in a row overall when he faces Story in May.

Lead photo courtesy of TheMMACorner.com

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Rick Story Tired of Being Overlooked After Wins over Hendricks and Ellenberger

What do top welterweight contenders Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger have in common?They have both lost unanimous decisions to Rick Story.After his vicious first-round knockout win over Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158, Story hopped on Facebook to vent his…

What do top welterweight contenders Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger have in common?

They have both lost unanimous decisions to Rick Story.

After his vicious first-round knockout win over Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158, Story hopped on Facebook to vent his frustrations with the UFC welterweight division.

He admits to being “pissed” at sitting in the shadows while fighters he’s already defeated get the spotlight.

“I want to fight Jake Ellenberger! It pisses me off that he’s getting all of the accolades when I already beat him. It’s annoying that people keep making the excuse for Jake “well that was earlier in your guy’s career”. OK, even back then he had 3 times the amount of fights that I had.

…The bottom line is I want to be in the position he is in right now and if I have to beat his ass again to get there…… Then Let’s do it!”

Story defeated Ellenberger back in June 2008 at SportFight 23, a smaller show in Portland, Oregon. This was before either fighter made it to the UFC, and both were still working their way through the ranks.

Oddly enough, Story also has a win over Hendricks, who is currently listed as the No. 1 contender to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the UFC title. He is the only person to ever defeat Hendricks, in a bout that occurred a little over two years ago at the TUF 12 Finale.

Hendricks and Ellenberger are both coming off wins at UFC 158.

While Hendricks is already slated for a UFC title shot, Ellenberger is widely considered to be next in line alongside Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia and former Strikeforce welterweight champ Tarec Saffiedine.

There were rumors circulating about the possibility of Maia fighting Rory MacDonald, but another injury setback for the young Canadian may have ruined any potential plans.

If the UFC pairs Maia with Saffiedine, it could make sense to go ahead and do a rematch between Story and Ellenberger. It wasn’t too long ago that Story was knocking on the door for title contention.

Before suffering a string of losses, he was riding a six-fight win streak, including victories over Hendricks, Thiago Alves and Dustin Hazelett.

Should the UFC go ahead and book the rematch, or would it be too far of a step back for Ellenberger to accept his former foe’s offer?

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