The UFC 153: Rio card just keeps getting better with Damien Maia set to take on another tough challenge at welterweight in the shape of Rick Story.
Maia made a successful transition down to 170lbs last month when he defeated Dong-Hyun Kim by TKO in the first round, but it was somewhat of a freak win given that Kim suffered what appeared to be a rib injury early in the fight that left him unable to continue, though it was later found to have been a muscle spasm.
Meanwhile, Story has been a significant force in the division for some time, including at one point going on an impressive six-fight winning streak, taking out the likes of Thiago Alves and Johny Hendricks along the way.
He hit a rough patch in 2011 though, losing to both Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann which stopped the 27 year-old’s title ambitions dead in their tracks for the time being, though he has since rebounded with a win over Brock Jardine this year.
There’s a very good chance this fight will feature on the main card of this show, though there’s no guarantees as it’s an event that’s filling up quickly with notable match-ups, including the main event featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch, along with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Glover Teixeira, Vitor Belfort Vs Alan Belcher and Jon Fitch Vs Erick Silva.
The UFC’s last visit to Brazil for UFC 147 was seen as somewhat of a weak card in the end due to injuries and fights being switched to other shows, but if they can steer clear of any unforeseen problems this time around then it looks like they will be delivering a strong card this time around for what’s proven to be their biggest overseas market in 2012.
