Rick “The Horror” Story returns to action for the first time since his disappointing loss to Charlie Brenneman against Martin Kampmann. In San Jose and around the world, fans will be watching to see if Rick Story will be able to continue where he left off prior to the shock Brenneman loss, before which he was considered to be a rising star in the welterweight division due to an impressive six fight win streak. The question is has Story recovered from this loss and will he bounce back against Kampmann, who may be his biggest challenge to date.
Martin “Hitman” Kampmann, 17 – 5 is a striker who has competed against some of the top names in the division. He earned “Fight of the Night” honors in a hard fought bout against Diego Sanchez, has defeated Carlos Condit and gone the distance with Jake Shields. Although his last two bouts ended in defeat Kampmann has proven he can hang with the UFC elite. Best known as a technical striker, Kampmann has a solid jiu jitsu game and as seen against Sanchez, a proven takedown defense. He may need all these tools at his disposal if he expects to stop Rick Story.
Rick “The Horror ” Story, 13 – 4 is a tough wrestler who likes to over power his opponents with his aggressive style. He holds a recent victory over the Muay Thai wrecking machine Thiago Alves and earned Fight and Submission of the Night in his win against Brain Foster. Rick Story was on a role until he ran into Charlie Brenneman, the last minute replacement for Nate Marquart at UFC on Versus 4. Story is probably more than ready to put some distance between himself and his recent loss and defeating Kampmann is his chance to do just that.
In order for Rick Story to be get back into the win column he’ll want to take this fight to the ground and apply relentless pressure to Kampmann. Neutralizing Kampmann’s striking is a key element to victory and something that Rick Story was able to accomplish against Alves. Story can use his aggression to slug his way into the pocket and takedown Kampmann. He’ll need to smother and smash him once on the ground in order to wear him down. Count on Rick Story to do as he’s done many times before, which is grinding out wins by sheer determination and wrestling. This fight has all the potential to be a grueling battle but in the end expect Rick Story to win by decision.
