PORTLAND, Ore. -- More than a decade of rivalry will come to a head Saturday during the main event of Sportfight 23 at the Rose Garden. Rising prospects Mike Pierce (Pictures) and Nathan Coy (Pictures) will fight for the welterweight title, but the match has been building since they were at rival youth wrestling clubs and stars at Portland-area high schools. Pierce, 27, attended Portland State, while Coy, 29, went to Oregon State, an hour south. Now they represent rival gyms 15 minutes apart.

"I wasn't even here when the bitterness started," Coy said. "I think it was a mistake leaving our gym, but that's on him."

Pierce has been a galvanizing figure in a city ruled by Team Quest, the fight factory that produced a long list of top fighters like Randy Couture (Pictures), Matt Lindland (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures), Chris Leben (Pictures), Ed Herman (Pictures) and Nate Quarry as well as newcomers like Coy. In 2006, Pierce left the gym for Braveheart, an up-and-coming gym with newer training facilities. But he did not go quietly.

"Pierce burned the bridge publicly to the point where I thought it was a setup," Team Quest's Chael Sonnen (Pictures) said. Sonnen says he considers Pierce a friend, but "he put himself in a rough spot."

Soon a cyber-war of words began between Pierce and Team Quest's Mike Dolce (Pictures), a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 7," and a collision course began. On Oct. 27, 2007, Pierce shocked nearly everyone by knocking Dolce out in five seconds. The victory did little to stem the animosity, however, and both sides were chirping two months later before Pierce's win over Team Quest's Ed Nuno garnered him the Sportfight welterweight title. Now, Pierce will fight his third consecutive Team Quest fighter.

Saturday's "fight is similar in the respect that we are from rival gyms, but there is no outright hatred like there was between me and Mike Dolce (Pictures)," Pierce said. "We had a personal problem. (Coy) and I were on the same Oregon wrestling team that went to nationals."

Rather than labor in Team Quest's shadow, Braveheart owner Pat White recently took Pierce to Las Vegas for one week. According to White, Pierce sparred with Forrest Griffin (Pictures), Tyson Griffin, Evan Tanner (Pictures), Jay Hieron (Pictures) and former Team Quest member Josh Haynes (Pictures), among others.

"We wanted to see where he stood and he did really well," White said. "I got an email from the UFC today. They want to see what happens (Saturday) and we will talk Monday."

Coy will likely not need to travel to tout his name. A two-time Pac-10 wrestling champion, Coy earned All-American honors at Oregon State. After graduating in 2003, he lived in Guatemala for six months before beginning a year-and-a-half stint at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Eventually, it became apparent that wrestling would not pay the bills.

"I had the passion in my heart to continue to compete," Coy said. "Nothing else would fill that void in my soul."

He returned to Portland specifically to train at Team Quest and also take advantage of his father's framing business that allowed him flexible hours. Now, he is being touted as the next great fighter to emerge from Portland.

"I am not in a rush to get to a bigger league," he said. "When I get there I want to be dominant and I have a lot to learn.'

Massively muscled for a welterweight, Coy's training regimen is already legendary.

"I went to train next to Coy and he is doing the treadmill at level 10 and at the highest incline," Sonnen said. "So, I think ‘OK, he will slow down.' But he did it for 24 minutes -- meaning he did four consecutive six minute miles. I told him I'd never see anyone do that before."

Both Pierce and Coy weighed in at 170.5 pounds. Also on the Sportfight bill: IFL veteran and Team Quest fighter Jake Ellenberger (Pictures) takes on Braveheart's Rickey Storey, UFC veteran Ryan Jensen (Pictures) fights Dinarte Silva and IFL veteran Fabiano Scherner (Pictures) meets Mychal Clark (Pictures). Also, undefeated Josh Queen faces Josh Bennett (Pictures) for the heavyweight title.