UFC 158 results/photos: Rick Story makes quick work of Quinn Mulhern

MONTREAL – After a disastrous 1-3 run in the octagon, Rick Story undoubtedly saved his job with an impressive performance against newcomer Quinn Mulhern.

Story’s heavy hands damaged Mulhern early before a flurry of punches brought the fight to a violent halt just past the midway point of the first round.

The welterweight bout served as the final Facebook-streamed bout on the preliminary card of UFC 158, which took place at Montreal’s Bell Centre. It preceded additional prelims on FX and the main card on pay-per-view.

Mulhern, who enjoyed sizable advantages in height and reach, attempted to keep his distance early on. But Story charged in and clocked him with hard hooks that rattled his opponent and ultimately set the stage for the finish.

Despite getting tagged early, Mulhern repeatedly found himself cornered against the cage, where Story unloaded more combinations. An attempt to take the fight to the mat was telegraphed and easily avoided by the veteran.

Cornering his opponent a third time, Story landed a legal punch to Mulhern’s eye, which prompted a hasty retreat. Story then gave chase, where a glancing shot sent Mulhern cowering to the canvas.

“That felt great,” Story said. “I’ve been working hard to get back to where I was at, and it felt great to win like that. I want to get back up and fight a big name next.”

The win, which came at the 3:05 mark of the first round, put Story (15-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) back on solid footing after a submission loss to Demian Maia in his most recent outing.

Mulhern (18-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who made his name in the now-defunct Strikeforce, sees a three-fight streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 158 Finale results include:

• Rick Story def. Quinn Mulhern via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:05
• T.J. Dillashaw def. Issei Tamura via KO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 0:26
• George Roop def. Reuben Duran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 158, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Matt Erickson and Ben Fowlkes contributed to this report on-site in Montreal.