UFC 139 Results: What's Next for Rick Story?

UFC Welterweight Rick Story fought valiantly at last night's UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., but fell short as he dropped a split decision to Martin Kampmann.

The hard-nosed southpaw delivered heavy shots to Kampmann in the first round, buckling his opponent with body and head shots.  However, the Danish striker was able to shake it off and bounced right back into the fight.

Using a more technically sound game plan, Kampmann landed a straight right in the second round before taking the fight to the ground.  Despite Story's submission attempts, Kampmann was able to control the action.

In the final frame, Story tried using his wrestling ability to bring the fight back to the mat, but Kampmann was able to spring back up.  He took Story's back and threatened with a rear-naked choke as the final bell rang.

The outcome was a favorable one for Kampmann, who stopped his two-fight losing streak.  For Story, it was the exact opposite—he fell victim to his first ever back-to-back defeats.

Story looked good in this fight but was simply outmatched by Kampmann's more effective striking and controlling grappling.  Looking to reverse his losing ways going forward, Story has a few options to get back on track.

On the preliminary card of last night's event, welterweight Matt Brown was submitted by Seth Baczynski in the second round.  This may not be as high profile a fight as Story would like, but it would be an interesting matchup that would have both men fighting for their jobs.

Brown has only won one of his last five fights. There's a pink slip looming if he continues to perform poorly.  Story may not be in the same boat, but a third straight loss never bodes well when working for the UFC.

Another option could be the loser of the Sean Pierson and Dong-Hyun Kim fight.  This UFC 141 bout will have one fighter leaving Las Vegas with a two-fight losing streak of his own—providing a perfect matchup for Story.

A higher-profile opponent—such as the loser of the upcoming bout between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields—is also a possibility. At least, if that fighter remains with the promotion after a defeat.

Regardless of who he fights, it is imperative that Story makes improvements before his next bout or else he may join the growing list of ex-UFC fighters.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 139. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 19 fight card, including results and post-fight analysis.

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