The first five-round, non-title headliner in Bellator MMA history
was billed as a classic wrestler vs. grappler matchup.
Logan
Storley had other ideas. The four-time NCAA All-American
wrestler from the University of Minnesota traded with Neiman
Gracie for 25 minutes — including one potential “Round of the
Year” candidate — en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the
Bellator 274 headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn., on Saturday night.
“Just 25 minutes, I don’t think I shot one time,” Storley said at
Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Since I was 5 years old,
turning 30 [now], that’s 25 years of just wrestling. The No. 4
ranked guy in the world, went toe-to-toe and got the better of him
the whole time. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had. Landed big shots,
took shots, kept moving. I think that was a huge step in my career
over the last half hour.”
Storley appeared to be in control through three rounds when things
got interesting. Gracie appeared to stun Storley during an exchange
in Round 4, and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt swarmed for the
finish, forcing his opponent into desperation mode. Storley
eventually recovered and hurt Gracie with a big right hand later in
the frame. It was exactly the type of sequence Bellator officials
must have had in mind when they elected to make all main events
five-round affairs.
For his part, Storley believes he is better off for the
experience.
“That fourth round kind of cut me up a little bit. He hit an
elbow,” Storley said. “I felt great. That’s the best I’ve ever
performed. I thought it was an exciting fight, I don’t know what
you guys thought. I learned a lot about myself, I dug deep. And he
did too. I landed all the bigger shots besides that one in the
fourth round, and I dropped him. But he’s got a chin. I hit him
hard a couple times and he took them.
“I’m excited. I think that’s a great opening for the first
non-title five rounder.”
While Gracie has enjoyed success against other wrestling-based
fighters such as Ed Ruth and
Jon
Fitch, Storley gave the former title challenger a different
look.
“I knew that he couldn’t take me down. Everyone kept bringing up
Ed
Ruth’s fight and Jon Fitch ..
much respect to those guys but my MMA wrestling is different than
everybody else’s and I knew he couldn’t take me down,” Storley
said.
“I know I have a chin on me. I wanted to push the pace. It wasn’t a
wrestling style, where I was pushing the pace, but I was on my
feet. I don’t think he expected that. I think he kind of punched
himself out in a couple positions. And I hit him hard [in the ]
first, second, third a couple times with that hook and that
overhand right. I think that took a lot out of him.”
With the win, Storley is positioned near the top of the
welterweight division. His lone career defeat came to reigning
170-pound champion Yaroslav
Amosov via split-decision at Bellator 252 in a bout where he
had his opponent in serious danger with a choke in the third round.
Amosov is scheduled to defend the welterweight crown against
Michael
Page at Bellator London in May, and Storley believes he has a
strong case for a rematch if the champion is victorious.
“Yeah, I want the title shot,” Storley said. “I fought the champ to
a split decision. That was only three rounds and had him in trouble
late in the third. During that fight, I got stronger. So I want the
title shot. I think a lot of people want to see it, especially if
it’s Amosov. I’m coming to get that belt.”
After going 25 minutes for the first time in his MMA career,
Storley will be more confident going up against Amosov for a second
time. He’ll also come equipped with some more tools in his toolbox,
as he demonstrated on Saturday night.
“That fight was 15 minutes,” he said of the first meeting with
Amosov. “I shot the whole time, scrambled. That took a lot out of
me — him too. I didn’t have that confidence that I have now. I grew
up those last 25 minutes as a fighter. That’s the biggest
difference.”