Another injury has shaken up the UFC’s packed Memorial Day Weekend event as Gunnar Nelson (11-0-1, 2-0 UFC) has been forced out of the event due to an injury. He was scheduled to take on Mike Pyle (24-8-1, 7-3 UFC) in the featured preliminary bout. Pyle will now take on Rick Story (15-6, 8-4 UFC) at the event. UFC officials announced the switch late Tuesday night.
UFC 160 news at night – @gunninelson injured, @rick_story now fighting @mike_pyle Memorial Day weekend in Vegas
— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2013
Pyle has come on strong of late in the UFC having strung together three straight first-round knockout wins. He is 6-1 over his last seven fights with the only blemish coming to Rory MacDonald at UFC 133 in August 2011. Pyle’s wins during his streak have come over James Head, Josh Neer and Ricardo Funch.
Story fought last month at UFC 158 where he scored first-round knockout win over Quinn Mulhern. That briefly ended a period where Story had won just once over four fights as he saved his spot in the UFC’s welterweight division for the time being. Story does hold the distinction of being the only man to defeat top welterweight contender Johny Hendricks in his career, and Story was looking to secure a fight with Jake Ellenberger prior to stepping in to face Pyle.
UFC 160 is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout as Cain Velasquez defends the title against Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos takes on Mark Hunt in the co-main event. The event takes place on May 25 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
