Rick Story utilized his wrestling advantage throughout the fight to set the tone in his dominant victory over Leonardo Mafra. After getting tagged with a right head kick, Story wasted no time in getting the fight to the ground. There was a clear strength advantage and he utilized it against a smaller Mafra.
Story was perfect on four takedown attempts, whether it was a single leg or double leg. Mafra showed his inexperience by going for a knee, after just getting up from the ground. He never adjusted well to Story’s relentless pace, which we’re accustomed to seeing.
Story finished him with a rear naked choke in the middle of the second round. Mafra showed some promise in his UFC debut, but his back was always against the wall against a UFC veteran. After taking a few punches on the ground, Mafra tried to turn over and it only got worse. Story went into full mount and locked in the arm-triangle choke in a matter of moments. Story (17-8) goes back on the winning track, after a controversial loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 171.
