Story uses relentless pressure to outpoint Saffiedine

Tarec Saffiedine found out the hard way what happens when Rick Story sinks his teeth into his opponent.

Story was at his pitbull best in a three-round affair at UFC Fight Night 88 on Sunday, closing the distance at every opportunity to get right in Saffiedine's face, where "The Sponge" was unable to operate. All three rounds saw Saffiedine backed up against the cage, and when the judges rendered their decision, it was Story whose hand was raised:

A 603-day layoff didn't seem to hinder Story one bit as he immediately took Saffiedine out of his comfort zone. "The Horror" is well known for methodically grinding away at his opponents and Saffiedine struggled to deal with the constant pressure.

It took all of Saffiedine's energy to push Story away, only to find himself trapped against the cage where it became impossible to generate any striking power. Meanwhile, Story repeatedly connected with body blows that made Saffiedine's situation even more dire.

With the decision win, Story finds himself on a three-fight win streak. He's now won 12 fights in 18 UFC appearances, all at welterweight.

Saffiedine flip-flops between wins and losses once again since coming over from the Strikeforce promotion. The 29-year-old Belgian failed to build on a decision win over Jake Ellenberger in January.