Rick Story

Rick Story is a retired welterweight who spent 12 years in the UFC building a respectable 19-9 record through wrestling, grappling, and ring control. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Story developed his fighting roots at Southern Oregon University, where he was a top amateur wrestler before turning pro in 2007. He entered the UFC in 2009 against John Hathaway and spent his early years establishing himself as a submission specialist, earning Submission and Fight of the Night honors for a slick arm-triangle choke finish over Brian Foster in 2009.

Story hit his stride in the early 2010s with wins over high-profile opponents like Dustin Hazelett and Thiago Alves, the latter a notable upset victory that drew praise for his grappling and ring generalship. However, his career in the midpoint was defined by a string of close, controversial split decisions against top competition: losses to Martin Kampmann, Mike Pyle, and Kelvin Gastelum all went down to the judges, highlighting how tight the margins were at welterweight. A brutal first-round submission loss to Demian Maia in 2012 showed the gap between journeymen and elite grapplers, but Story remained a willing dance partner for ranked fighters.

A physical wrestler and control-focused fighter, Story operated with 63 percent striking defense and solid takedown defense, relying on pressure and cage control to win fights rather than jaw-dropping finishes. He made a comeback from an 18-month injury layoff in 2016 with a win over Tarec Saffiedine, only to face Donald Cerrone in his final UFC bout at UFC 202, where he was stopped via second-round head kick and punches. Story later signed with the Professional Fighters League before announcing his retirement in November 2018, closing out a career marked by toughness, respect, and the grinding blue-collar approach that defines career-long journeymen in elite MMA.