Story Calls Out Thiago Alves

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After outpointing Johny Hendricks on Dec. 4 for his fifth straight win in the UFC, Rick Story knows whom he wants to fight next.

“I want to fight Thiago [Alves],” Story said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network.

Alves, ranked No. 3 in the world, would be a significant step up in competition. That’s one reason why Story wants a piece of “The Pitbull.”

“I know that somebody like Thiago Alves, beating him, it would make people realize, ‘This guy is for real,’” Story said. “I just want everybody to know that I am for real and I’m not going to stop until I get that number one spot.”

The 26-year-old Story had a strong year in 2010. He went 4-0, including a stoppage of Dustin Hazelett. Against Hendricks he outwrestled a former NCAA champion and showed a more advanced MMA game.

Meanwhile Alves appears to have rebounded from weight issues and a loss to Jon Fitch earlier in the year. On Dec. 11 the former title challenger looked impressive en route to a unanimous decision over John Howard. Although Alves might be back on track, Story likes the matchup.

“For one, he’s a standup striker. And two, he’s great at takedown defense, but he’s not that great at staying away from wrestlers when he’s down on the ground,” Story explained. “When he’s in good shape, he’s a little bit better at getting away. Against [Jon] Fitch, Fitch took him down at will and controlled him on the ground. I just think that it would be great. It would be a great fight and it’d be fun to stand and trade with him.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:22:13) with Story, who also discussed how he overcame a 1-2 start in MMA.