
UFC welterweight Mike Pierce was a guest on Joe Show Radio recently and didn’t have the nicest stuff to say about his former trainer Pat White, or his former training partner Rick Story. Pierce has been quite vocal about not being a fan of his former trainer for a long time, and has stated that Story, who just signed a four-fight contract extension with the UFC, just goes along with whatever White tells him to do. Pierce wasn’t about to do that, and his decision to leave White’s Brave Legion gym was made up after one particular brutal incident. Basically Story beat down a rookie, one who appeared to be suffering from head trauma already, for no good reason at all. Here is Pierce’s version (full audio after the jump):
“This kid drove all the way from Iowa. He was a wrestler, a wrestler looking to be an MMA guy, he hardly didn’t have any experience, out to Vancouver, WA to learn how to fight. And you know, Pat was getting frustrated with him because he was doing what beginners do when they get beat on by a guy that’s really experienced, you know. He was covering up, backing away, putting his his head down. Typical beginner-like stuff. And he (Pat) was getting frustrated, so he told myself and Ricky just to go in there and knock this guy out. That’s not what you do to teammates, man. There’s a time and a place for that, but in the training room? That’s probably a little far.
…
I refused to do it, and I went in there and sparred like you’re supposed to spar. And Ricky went in there and just starts wailing on the guy. And keep in mind that this kid had already had some sort of a head trauma anyway, where he was having vertigo issues. He would sleep and lay in his bed at night and look at the ceiling and it would spin. Okay, obviously there was some sort of a head trauma with the guy. And then, Ricky goes in there and starts wailling on this guy.
Now you know, we’re just boxing. It’s just boxing sparring. So the guy takes a knee after taking a few nasty shots. Takes a knee with one hand on his head and the other one waving off saying ‘Hold on, hold on, my head’, and then you know, Pat’s all over saying ‘F**k it, keeping hitting him’. So Ricky grabs him by the back of the head and starts uppercutting him in the face, like that’s okay?…and I was just shaking my head, like, you gotta be f**king kidding me man.”
There’s no way to say it without being direct, so I’ll just say it – if that story is legit, Rick Story is a bully and a coward in my opinion for hitting a man that is asking for time just because his coach wants to make a ridiculous point. No wonder Pierce left. I’m sure many people have heard or seen similar things in the gym, but that doesn’t make it right. I considered myself a big Rick Story fan up until I heard this. I’m reconsidering that right now.
Disclaimer: This is a transcription of an interview Pierce did with Joe Show Radio, Bloody Elbow has no way of knowing the truth of Pierce’s allegations. We reported on his statements as they are newsworthy.
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