UFC
After UFC 130 win over Thiago Alves, Rick Story wants Jon Fitch next
May 30, 2011 - 10:20:26 PM After UFC 130 win over Thiago Alves, Rick Story wants Jon Fitch next

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Rick Story is riding a high after picking up the biggest win of his career at UFC 130, a unanimous decision victory over Thiago Alves. The win marked his sixth straight in the UFC, and has him positioned to move up the ladder of the welterweight division even further.

Story controlled the first two rounds of the fight with Alves, pressing the former title challenger to the cage and taking him down on numerous attempts. The continuous threat of the takedown and the clinch had Alves flustered for the first ten minutes and put him in a deep hole heading into the third.

Alves forced Story into a fight for survival in the third, however. Turning up his offensive output, Alves cracked Story with a knee to the jaw that sent his teeth into his mouthguard and landed a number of hard punching combinations. But Story survived the onslaught and made it to the end of the round and taking the decision win.

Now, he's ready for another fighter in the top of the division, and he's got one name in particular in mind.

"Me and my coach Pat White were discussing this, and we think that the next opponent that would best suit us would be Jon Fitch because he's the next guy in line," Story said at the post-fight press conference.

Fitch, the longstanding #2 welterweight in the world and one time title challenger in the division, is currently on the shelf recovering from shoulder surgery. But with his previously scheduled opponent in B.J. Penn possibly ready to return before him, Story could be an option for him to fight when he gets back into action.

Penick's Analysis: Story fought a good fight against Alves in the first two rounds, and showed off a hell of a chin in the third, but I'm still not sold on him being able to do that to a lot of the guys in the top of the division. He utilized his clinch and grappling against Alves in the first two rounds, a style that has been one of Alves' long-time weaknesses, and he's not going to have that to go after against guys like Fitch or Josh Koscheck or Jake Shields. Still, the win over Alves means something, and if he really wants to take that leap into the elite of the division, Fitch is one hell of a test. Penn would be another very interesting fight for him as well, but depending on how long he wants to wait before taking his next fight, Fitch might be a great option for the UFC.