UFC 167 results, photos, gifs: Rick Story outstrikes Brian Ebersole in slugfest

LAS VEGAS – Brian Ebersole proved he was capable of taking a punch, not to mention a few kicks, but couldn’t do much else against Rick Story.

Story dominated Ebersole from bell to bell to pitch a shutout on judges’ scorecards.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 167 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on MMAjunkie and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Judges handed out unanimous 30-27 scores for Story, who got back on the winning track after a decision loss to Mike Pyle at UFC 160.

Story came out swinging from the opening bell and battered Ebersole with heavy punches. Ebersole, though, seemed more frustrated with the reactions of the audience than the ground he was losing as the fight progressed.

Time and time again, the playful Ebersole tried to take the fight to the ground and ran into a brick wall. A right hand from Story badly hurt him in the second frame, but time ran out before a finishing blow was landed.

It wasn’t punches, however, that brought Story closest to ending the fight. After peppering Ebersole with leg kicks, he twice took the veteran off his feet.

“I just want to thank Brian for putting on a great show with me,” Story said. “It was a good tough fight, and I think I got the best of him by the end of it. Those kicks to the knee really started to hurt him toward the end.”

Story (16-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has alternated wins and losses in his past five octagon outings, while Ebersole, who returned to the cage after a 16-month injury layoff, (50-16-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) now has dropped back-to-back fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 167 results include:

• Rick Story def. Brian Ebersole via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Erik Perez def. Edwin Figueroa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jason High def. Anthony Lapsley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Sergio Pettis def. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Gian Villante def. Cody Donovan via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:22

For complete coverage of UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.