UFC 167's Rick Story committed to following gameplan 'no matter what'

MONTREAL – UFC welterweight Rick Story is aware of his faults as a competitor, and the most significant of those flaws is his inability to follow a game plan from start to finish.

The most recent example came in his last fight against Mike Pyle at UFC 160. Story (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) handily won the first round of the contest with the help of a knockdown, all-around more effective striking and a takedown. But as the fight wore on, Story began to stray from what made him so successful early, allowing Pyle to come back and steal the final two frames on two judge’s scorecards to walk away with a split-decision victory.

While the American still feels he deserved to win the fight, he also knows if he were to deliver his first-round performance through the third, he wouldn’t be in this situation – a revelation that has forced him to reevaluate how closely he follows the strategies set out by his coaching staff.

“Even though the record books show that I lost the fight, I think I won the fight,” Story told MMAjunkie.com of his loss to Pyle. “I was more disappointed in how tired I got towards the second round and kind of getting pulled away from my gameplan that worked in the first round.

“I was really just sitting there and dwelling on it. I need to follow my gameplan more and that still sits with me.”

Like a lot of MMA fighters, Story has a habit of getting caught up in the heat of the moment and will put himself in bad positions when he doesn’t necessarily need too.

The 29-year-old has seen the outcome of his fights when he follows the strategy set out for him to a tee, but when he veers, that’s when the mistakes are made that lead to losses.

“My coach is very smart and he always sets up amazing gameplans, but me being able to follow them is usually always the problem,” Story said. “When I have great fights, I usually follow my gameplan. When I have really crappy fights, I don’t follow my gameplan.”

Some fighters who have had difficulties with the mental side of the game opt to visit a sports psychologist; however, Story doesn’t see view that as a necessity at this time. He truly feels his troubles sticking to a gameplan revolve around his mental and physical preparation for the fight. If Story doesn’t feel he got the right type of training in, he loses confidence for the fight.

“I think it’s a compilation of everything,” Story said. “Having my mind right, being focused, doing my visualization and doing everything I need to be doing on my end to have the confidence to know that my gameplan is going to work in the fight.”

Story has spent the majority of his training camp for his UFC 167 bout against Brian Ebersole at Montreal’s Tristar Gym along the likes of elite welterweight fighters such as Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald.

After surrounding himself with the cream of the crop to prepare for Ebersole (50-15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Story feels as confident as ever before and knows that if his gameplan hits a wall mid-fight, he is capable of making the adjustments needed to push through.

“If it doesn’t work the first time, keep doing it because eventually it will work,” Story said. “If I don’t do everything right in the off time outside of practice, I’m not going to have the confidence that I need to have to make sure my gameplan is going to work.”

With four losses in his past six trips to the octagon, Story feels he has turned a corner ahead of the organization’s 20th anniversary show, which goes down Nov. 16 on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with preliminary card action airing on FOX Sports 1 and MMAjunkie.com.

Even with his newfound self-confidence, Story’s recent record looks dangerously close to a fighter who could be released from the organization. “The Horror” is fully aware of this, though, and that’s why he must stick to his game plan in order to assure a victory against Ebersole.

“At this point [getting cut] is something that I’m always worried about,” Story said. “The UFC is cutting people left and right, and I don’t want to be on the chopping block, so it’s not something I’m freaked out about because I know I’m going to go out and put on a good show.”

“I’ve got to follow my gameplan, and no matter what happens, I better keep doing it.”

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