Rick Story grinding his way to a decision victory over Tarec Saffiedine tonight at UFC Fight Night 88 in Las Vegas.
Round One:
Story with a leg kick to start. Saffiedine misses with a high kick. Short flurry from Story, but Saffiedine just backs away.
Nice left hook for Story. Body kick for Saffiedine that’s caught, but he wrenches it free and lands a right hand into the bargain.
Story presses forward, clinches up and marches Saffiedine to the cage. Saffiedine able to break away and connects with a head kick on the way out, but it only grazes story.
Story with a leg kick as he moves in. Right hook for Story and attempts a throw, but Saffiedine is back up and Story has to settle with the clinch again for now.
Story with a few knees. Saffiedine jockeys for position against the cage and then they break apart with Story landing a punch on the way out.
Again into the clinch for Story. Knee to the body from him. Now he rips to the body with a series of hooks. Saffiedine with a punch and then after the round ends he fires off another head kick.
Round Two:
Leg kick for Story and a couple of punches, but Saffiedine with a head kick in return. Solid body kick for Saffiedine. Push kick from him too.
Leg kick for Story, but he falls afterwards. Saffiedine follows him to the mat, but Story pops right back up and pushes his opponent into the cage.
Story trying to work for a takedown attempt, but no joy and they separate. Head kick blocked from Saffiedine. Leg kick does connect for him though. Story lands a left as Saffiedine bundled into a failed takedown.
Story clinching again now. Good uppercut and hook on the way out from him. Back into the clinch with ripping body punches, while Saffiedine counters with a knee to the body.
Two minutes of the round remaining. More body work from Story. Now knees to the leg. Saffiedine trying to scramble away, but Story won’t allow it.
Minute to go and the ref breaks them. Story with a leg kick. Kick upstairs for Saffiedine that just glances Story’s head. Another head kick from Saffiedine wings over the top of Story’s head as he ducks.
Yet again into the clinch for Story, but Saffiedine lands some nice knees to end the round.
Round Three:
Nice left hand for Story and a kick behind it. He find the chin of Saffiedine with a right hand.
Another leg kick for Story. Half a dozen punches to the ribs for Story as he wades into the clinch. He lands as a hook as they separate from that.
Saffiedine comes up short with an uppercut. Left hand for Story. Straight left for Saffiedine, but Story goes into the clinch yet again.
Story tries a foot sweep, but it doesn’t pay off. Body strikes for Story, but eats an elbow.
They separate and Story wastes little time in going right back to the clinch, happy to grind out a win here, though he does take a knee from Saffiedine on the way in.
Brief separation gives Saffiedine time to unleashe a head kick, but Story takes it and clinches again.
Same story again when they break apart, with another Saffiedine head kick connecting, yet it doesn’t seem to affect Story.
Another clinch, another separation. Nice punches from Story. Saffiedinw with a counter. Body kick for Story. Good right hand. Clinch in the final 10 seconds with a few knees from Story.
Decision:
Rick Story put forward pressure on Saffiedine all fight long and it paid off for him with a unanimous decision victory (29-28 x2, 30-27).
