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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