Welterweights Rick Story, Sean Pierson Booked for Montreal Meeting at UFC 158

The 170-pound contest joins a card already flush with welterweight talent. The March 16 bill is topped by a welterweight title confrontation between longtime UFC king Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce ruler Nick Diaz. Additionally, the co-main event will see former interim titlist Carlos Condit rematch surging Canadian prospect Rory MacDonald, while Johny Hendricks meets Jake Ellenberger in another pivotal showdown at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

After posting a six-fight Octagon winning streak from September 2009 to May 2011, Story has lost three of his last four fights. The 28-year-old suffered back-to-back defeats to close out last year but managed to right his ship and earn a unanimous decision over promotional debutant Brock Jardine this past June at UFC on FX 4. Most recently, however, “The Horror” was dominated by Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia, who finished Story with a first-round rear-naked choke on Oct. 13 at UFC 153.

Pierson, meanwhile, last competed on Sept. 22, taking a unanimous verdict from Lance Benoist at UFC 152. The victory marked the second-straight triumph for “The Punisher,” who kicked off 2012 by outpointing Jake Hecht this summer at UFC on FX 3. The victories followed a winless 2011 for the 36-year-old, as the Canadian was knocked cold by Ellenberger before being dealt a unanimous decision defeat to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 141.