UFC 160 results/photos: Mike Pyle beats Rick Story in close split decision

LAS VEGAS – After nearly getting finished in the first round, Mike Pyle staged a late-fight rally against Rick story in a closely contested affair.

The surge allowed Pyle to win over two of three judges in another set of scores likely to spur fan debate.

The welterweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC 160 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FX following additional prelims on Facebook and prior to a main card on pay-per-view.

Although Story appeared to be in control of the fight early on by taking Pyle to the mat, Pyle put him in serious danger with an armbar attempt. Story, though, wasn’t planning on grinding out a win. When the fight got back to its feet, he lit Pyle up with winging hooks, one of which sent Pyle lifeless to the mat.

Pyle’s landing woke him up, but he barely survived the round.

“Quicksand” wasn’t willing to go quietly, however. When Story advanced in the second, he landed a knee that prompted an immediate takedown attempt. Story again got the fight to the ground, but wound up defending a kimura attempt.

The action of the first few rounds clearly took its toll on Story, who tried in vain to take the fight down in the third. Pyle, meanwhile, made up more ground with knees up the middle and elbows that bloodied Story’s face. A desperation takedown saved “The Horror” from an onslaught of punches in the final minute, but not from a pair of armbar attempts that forced him to scramble.

The final scores were 29-28 twice for Pyle, while one judge dissented with a 29-28 score for Story.

“I don’t have any control over who I fight next, though I’d love to fight the top guys in the division,” Pyle said. “I should have never let it go to the judges. I’m not happy with my performance. I got hit too much in the first round, but I feel I did get more technically sound as the fight went on. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
 

“It was tough, but I can see how he got the decision,” Story said. “I need to come back stronger and hungrier.”

Pyle (25-8-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who is ranked No. 15 in USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA welterweight rankings, now has won his past four bouts in the octagon. Story (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who stepped into the bout as a replacement for the injured Gunnar Nelson, is now 2-4 in his past six outings.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 160 results include:

• Mike Pyle def. Rick Story via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Dennis Bermudez def. Max Holloway via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:41
• Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• George Roop def. Brian Bowles via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:43
• Jeremy Stephens defeats Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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