For, Rick “The Horror” Story, UFC 139 could not have worked out better for him without drawing the champion himself.
Story took a UFC on Versus 4 bout with Nate Marquardt on short notice once Anthony Johnson pulled out, but issues pertaining to circumstances outside of Story’s control caused Marquardt to be released by the UFC and replaced by Charlie Brenneman.
Now, considering that all but the third round went to Brenneman, you would think that Story might get a noticeable step down in competition coming into UFC 139, but Joe Silva (and maybe Dana White) gave Story a real step up in competition when they contacted Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann with the offer to take on Story.
Some feel Story and Brenneman were stood up prematurely while Story was looking for a victory by Triangle Choke after two unsuccessful guillotine choke attempts, which is funny with the Kampmann fight approaching because almost all of the MMA World feels Kampmann beat Diego Sanchez at UFC on Versus 3.
Take the addition of this fight for what it’s worth, but never undermine what it means if Story hands Kampmann a serious loss in San Jose.
It might take Story a win or two to earn his status as a possible contender if he beats Kampmann, but taking the heavy hands and upper body strength into account against Kampmann’s evolving takedown offense, smooth submissions and diverse striking, why would any doubt exist as to whether Story is among the elite at what’s left of the UFC Welterweight division if he does what Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez visibly did not seem able to do, despite their decision wins over the Xtreme Couture standout and UFC veteran Kampmann?
Story has come this far because the fighters from the same cloth as Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves were locked in as winners against Story before they ever fought Story, and Kampmann seems all but a lock for a certain winner as well, but Kampmann has the same chance to win that Hendricks and Alves did before Story defeated them.
At the end of the day, we are still referring to a fight, so whatever will happen is going to happen, and nothing is ruled out of the question.
Kampmann is a good fighter, but by signing this fight, he could be putting himself in front of the one prospect—besides a Rory MacDonald-type of fighter—who might just be able to solidly defeat him.
Yes, Story will have 15 minutes to earn his status as an elite welterweight against Kampmann, and the last time MMA fans checked, no 15-minute bout ever comes easy when a man draws Martin Kampmann, but Story never ducks fights and he never quits in fights.
Kampmann will make Story earn both the win and the elite label, but if anyone not named Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz or BJ Penn could do it without controversy against Kampmann, it would be Story.
Talk is cheap, though—we won’t know for sure before it happens, but we’ll know for sure come Novemebr 19th at UFC 139.
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