Sunday, June 26, 2011 10:13 AM ET
In an 11th hour scratch, Nate “The Great” Marquardt is out and Charlie Brenneman has been tapped as his replacement on Versus tonight.
Evidently Nate “The Great” Marquardt is not so great, because the word is he’s been deemed ineligible due to medical considerations and has been replaced. It will be Charlie “The Spaniard”Brenneman facing Rick Story now in tonight’s UFC Live.
Dana White went a step further by issuing a press release stating Marquardt has not only been scratched from this fight but he has also been released from his contract with the UFC. It is unknown at this time specifically why Marquardt did not receive medical clearance.
So, another headliner is out and a replacement is trotted in. Such is the state of affairs in the UFC these days.
Charlie Brenneman
Charlie Brenneman is the lucky understudy who stayed in shape and gets a ticket to fight in front of his friends and family in his home state of Pennsylvania. Brenneman is a freestyle wrestler with decent punching power. He is 13-2 overall and 2-1 in the UFC. Brenneman has 5 victories by KO, 2 by submission and 6 by decision. He debuted in the UFC with a unanimous decision over Jason High, then TKO’ed by Johny Hendricks in the 2ndround but rebounded in his last match with a unanimous decision over Amilcar Alves.
Rick “The Horror” Story
Rick Story is riding a 6 fight winning streak and has not lost in almost 2 years. He earned an impressive unanimous decision over Thiago Alves in May and also defeated Johny Hendricks back in December. Hendricks you’ll recall, is the same fighter who TKO’ed Story’s opponent tonight, Charlie Brenneman. Like Brenneman, Story is a collegiate wrestler but brings a more polished and accomplished skill set.
Story currently holds a record of 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the UFC. Story is a 26 year old southpaw who will give Brenneman problems on many levels. He is an elusive target and he has the ability to grapple effectively with Brenneman. Perhaps his greatest advantage may be the caliber of opponent he’s fought. His fight against Marquardt was supposed to have been a precursor to a title fight if he had won.
What to expect
Story is a prohibitive betting odds favorite, currently -500 in the UFC odds provided by Bodog, and was a slight favorite over the veteran Marquardt before he was dropped from the card. While nothing is worth laying -500 there is no value in betting a big underdog and losing. Even though betting Brenneman at +300 is a nice return, it’s unlikely he will be able to win this battle.
Therefore, we should turn our attention to exactly how Story wins this fight. Though Story is certainly the more seasoned fighter of the two, it would be dangerous to dismiss Brenneman entirely. There certainly has to be disappointment in the Story camp that Marquardt is no longer his opponent.
If Story beat Marquardt, he would have been fast-tracked to a date with GSP or whoever held the welterweight crown. Now he has nothing to gain and everything to lose. Charlie Brenneman is the rain on Story’s parade and he would be advised not to dwell on that fact but focus on someone who could derail his career.
I believe Brenneman is skilled enough to hang and bang with Story. In Story’s last 5 fights, four have come via decision. Why can’t that happen again? I think it can. Bodog currently has +150 on this fight completing 3 rounds and I will make money regardless who wins if this goes to the judges’scorecards.
My Pick: Story wins by decision.
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Rick Story was born on August 28th, 1984 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Story
August 28th, 1984
August 28th
8 + 28 +2+0+1+0 = 39 = his personal year (from August 28th, 2010 to August 27th, 2011) = Ideal.
39 year + 5 (May) = 44 = his personal month (from May 28th, 2011 to June 27th, 2011) = How it is. It is what it is.
44 month + 26 (26th of the month on Sunday June 26th, 2011) = 70 = his personal day = Coping. Being flexible. Handling change.
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