UFC 160 Prelims: Mike Pyle Survives Rick Story Onslaught, Grabs Split Decision - Sherdog.com

MikePyle rallied to upset Rick Story at UFC 160. | Donald Miralle/ZuffaLLC/Getty Images

RickStory was perhaps one punch away from stopping Mike Pyle, buthis inability to finish the job came back to haunt him.

Pyle (25-8-1, 8-3 UFC) rode his treacherous guard and a one-sidedthird round to a split decision over Story at UFC160 'Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2' on Saturday at the MGM GrandGarden Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges saw it 29-28,two of them giving the nod to Pyle. The 37-year-old former WorldExtreme Cagefighting champion has won his last four fights.

Story (15-7, 8-5 UFC) nearly made quick work of the Dresden, Tenn.,native, as he floored him with a wicked straight left in the firstround and swarmed with punches from above. A badly dazed Pylesomehow weathered the onslaught, forced the Brave Legion exportdeeper into the fight and slowly drained his gas tank. He made hismove in round three, where he attacked a fading Story with a seriesof standing elbows and almost locked up a late armbar.

Bermudez Ekes Out Split Verdict Over Holloway'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 14 finalist DennisBermudez edged MaxHolloway by controversial split decision in an undercard duelat 145 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two ofthem siding with Bermudez (11-3, 4-1 UFC).

Holloway (7-2, 3-2 UFC) controlled a good portion of the opening 10minutes with his superior standup and excellent takedown defense,rattling his foe with a spinning back kick to the face in the firstround. Bermudez turned the tide with a strong showing in roundthree, where he grounded the Hawaiian with takedowns and grinded onhim with elbows from top position, leaving visible damage on the21-year-old Hawaiian's face.

Bermudez has won four straight.

Whittaker Bounces Fellow 'Ultimate Fighter' Winner Smith'The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes' winner RobertWhittaker dispatched ColtonSmith with a clean left hook and follow-up ground strikes in apreliminary welterweight contest. Whittaker (11-2, 2-0 UFC) drewthe curtain 41 seconds into round three, as he posted his fourthwin in five appearances.

A wrestler by trade, Smith (3-2, 1-1 UFC) never got his takedowngame in gear. Whittaker weathered a first-round knockdown, peckedaway from the perimeter and landed in combination, moving forwardand backward. Smith slowly wilted under the punishment and hadlittle left in the tank at the start of the final round. Less thana minute in, Whittaker planted him on his backside with a beautifulleft hook and finished it soon after.

JoshHedges/Zuffa LLC/UFC/Getty

Nurmagomedov scored a record 21 takedowns.

Nurmagomedov Moves to 20-0KhabibNurmagomedov kept his perfect MMA record intact, as he procureda unanimous decision over Blackzilians representative AbelTrujillo in a one-sided undercard matchup at 155 pounds.Nurmagomedov (20-0, 4-0 UFC) swept the scorecards by identical30-27 scores.

Trujillo (10-5, 1-1 UFC), who entered the cage on the strength of afive-fight winning streak, never had a chance. Nurmagomedovoverwhelmed the 29-year-old Greensboro, N.C., native with a seriesof takedowns, many of them from the rear waistlock position.

The undefeated Russian threatened with submissions throughout thefirst round, and Trujillo's situation only grew direr fromthere.

'Wonderboy' Thompson Decisions BurrellFive-time world kickboxing champion StephenThompson rebounded from his first professional defeat with aunanimous verdict over Nah-ShonBurrell in an undercard clash at 170 pounds. All three judgesstruck the decision for Thompson (7-1, 2-1 UFC): 29-28, 30-27 and29-28.

A replacement for the injured AmirSadollah, Burrell (9-3, 1-1 UFC) was stymied by repeatedclinches from the South Carolinian. Thompson engaged the Strikeforceimport in close quarters and controlled much of the fight along thefence. Burrell did his best work in the third round, where he spunaround a fatigued Thompson with a left hook and attacked with aseries of knees to the midsection. However, the finish he needednever materialized.

Roop Spoils Bowles' Return'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 8 semifinalist George Roopstopped former World Extreme Cagefighting champion BrianBowles on second-round punches in a preliminary bantamweightaffair. Appearing for the first time since November 2011, Bowles(10-3, 2-2 UFC) succumbed to the blows 1:43 into round two.

Roop (14-9-1, 4-5 UFC) endured some difficulty in the first round.Bowles staggered him with a right hand behind the ear, dropped himwith another and later threatened the ApexMMA representative with a mounted guillotine choke. Roopsurvived and pushed the match to a second round. There, he broughtdown Bowles with a stinging straight left and finished him with aseries of unanswered punches on the ground.

Stephens Bloodies, Outpoints PayanTakedowns, ground-and-pound and a heavy dose of leg kicks carriedJeremyStephens to a unanimous decision over Arizona Combat Sports export EstevanPayan in a gory undercard match at 145 pounds. All threecageside judges scored it for Stephens (21-9, 8-8 UFC): 30-26(twice) and 30-27.

The blood spilled by Payan (14-4, 0-1 UFC) after he absorbed afirst-round elbow from Stephens was the story. It was everywhere --in puddles. Stephens kept the Arizonan off-balance with repeatedkicks to the legs, a smattering of right hands and a series ofwell-timed takedowns. With that, the 26-year-old Alliance MMA representative put an end to the first three-fightlosing streak of his career.

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