UFC 171 results: Kelvin Gastelum takes split from Rick Story in shootout

DALLAS – In a fight in which both men took turns dropping one another to the mat, Kelvin Gastelum did just enough to edge out a split-decision win (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) in a grueling back-and-forth bout with Rick Story.

The welterweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC 171 event at American Airlines Center in Dallas. It aired on FOX Sports 2 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

It was all Gastelum in the early going, as he hurt Story with punches and nearly put him away in the first round. But Story wouldn’t go away that easily. Near the end of a second round that looked like little more than target practice for Gastelum in the first few minutes, Story wobbled him with a left before dropping him and pouring on the strikes in search of a finish, only to be thwarted by the clock as time ran out on the round.

Gastelum got back on track in the third, though he nearly gave it away when he let Story take his back midway through the round. In the end, two of the three judges thought the “Ultimate Fighter” winner had done enough, and so Gastelum emerged with the victory in a close, gritty bout.

“I expected an all-out war because Rick is a super tough guy,” Gastelum said. “He’s been near the top of the division for a long time for very good reason. This is a big win for me and I’m eager to hear who the UFC has next for me. I’m taking on all comers.”

Gastelum (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) maintains his perfect record with the win. Story (16-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) has lost two of his last three.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 171 results include:

• Kelvin Gastelum def. Rick Story via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
• Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes via TKO (knee) – Round 3, 2:57
• Alex Garcia def. Sean Spencer via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Frank Trevino def. Renee Forte via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Justin Scoggins def. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Sean Strickland def. Robert McDaniel via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:33
• Robert Whiteford def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on-site in Dallas.