UFC 112 Preview: The Prelims

Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story

The Breakdown: Of all the fights on the undercard, this is the one that is most likely to make someone’s career. Nick Osipczak is hot on the heels of a stunning upset over Matt Riddle at UFC 105. Rick Story has rebounded from an Octagon debut loss to John Hathaway by basically strangling his next two opponents. Considering the UFC’s struggle to find fresh faces in the welterweight division, someone is coming out of this fight lined up for a main card promotion.

Who gets that status upgrade comes down to whether Osipczak’s offensive dynamism can overcome Story’s gorilla takedowns and buck-nasty top game. Characterizing Story as some sort of wrestler on PCP doesn’t really cover the whole story -- Dear God, I told myself I wouldn’t make that pun -- because “The Horror” has shown rugged striking and submission skills. That is to say Osipczak doesn’t have the offensive advantage that has been all but assumed for him.

The lynchpin of Osipczak’s game is being the more offensively astute fighter. Not only is that out the window, but Story also happens to be about the size of Mount Kilimanjaro. In the welterweight division especially, the bitter truth is that it takes the genetics of a Yeti to have any hope of breaking the glass ceiling. Osipczak did an admirable job overcoming a massive size disadvantage against Riddle, but doing the same against Story will be like trying to pull a Hyena out of a hat.

The Bottom Line: Osipczak certainly isn’t out of his depth in this fight and will likely get the better of Story in striking exchanges. However, that success will only last until Story decides to go Zangief on him and turns this fight into a strongman competition. Offensive savvy and creativity will keep Osipczak competitive throughout, but that will only ensure he’ll be conscious when Story’s hand gets raised.