On April 10th, Brave Legion's Rick "The Horror " Story takes on Nick Osipczak in a undercard bout of UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, in a sure to be epic event featuring both Anderson Silva and BJ Penn defending their titles. Story is a two win streak in the Octagon with a submission win over Brian Foster at UFC 103 and most recently a unanimous decision over Jesse Lennox at UFC Fight Night 20 in January. Story looks to make it three in a row over British Fighter and TUF alumni, "Slick" Nick Osipczak. NW Fightscene correspondent Jason Lusk conducted this interview with Story via the web soon after Rick arrived in Abu Dhabi...

NWFS: Rick looks like you made it there. How long of a flight was it? 
Story: The flight from Portland to Chicago was about 3.5 hours and the flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi was 14 hours.

NWFS: Who did you take with you?
Story: Pat White, my coach.

NW Fightscene: Did you know where Abu Dhabi was? Is it an actual Island?
Rick Story: I knew where Abu Dhabi was on the map. It is the United Arab Emirates, which is next to Saudi Arabia, and close to Egypt. Yas Island is where I am fighting. It is considered an Island but it is man made so as we ride around it seems as if the island is surrounded by a river.

NWFS: Have you seen what the Ferrari World Concert Arena looks like? I heard its amazing and it holds something like 40,000 people?
Story: I have seen the arena, but I believe they are only booking the arena with 12 thousand seating spots. The area is not a finished product and pretty much the entire Island is still under construction. Where I am going to be fighting though from a distance looks to be pretty cool though.

NWFS: You had your pro debut back in November 2007 in a decision loss to Mario Miranda. 1 years and 2 months later, after winning 7 of 8 fights, you get your chance to fight for the UFC by filling in for Karo Parisyan but that ended up not working out. 4 1/2 months later and you finally make your UFC debut, fly all the way to Germany and lose a decision to John Hathaway. What keeps someone like you going after a loss like that?
Story: Its not very hard to stay motivated and when I lose I tend to become even more motivated to fix my mistakes and come back even harder with something to prove to myself and to everyone that watches me fight. I am very competitive and hunger for the feeling of finishing a fight. There is no other feeling like it in the world, conquering an opponent who is trying to do the same back.

NWFS: Now, with two big wins in a row in the UFC, things seem to be moving right along for you. You are now to be part of one of the biggest events in UFC history, some say bigger than UFC 100. How does it feel to be a part of such an event?
Story: It feels rewarding to know that I am put on the card to put on a performance to remember. At least this is what I am assuming and am planning on attempting. Of course, I'm looking to finish the fight while showing no conservation. Just going to put it all out on the line against Nick Osipczak.

NWFS: Rumor has it there will be some big bonuses for UFC 112? Have you heard anything?
Story: I haven't heard anything about the bonuses yet. Usually they tell us right after weigh-ins.

NWFS: Tell us a little about your contract. How many fights do you have left? 
Story: This is the first fight on my new four fight contract. So hopefully three after this fight.

 NWFS: Is there anyone that you would like to fight?
Story: I will fight anyone who is put in front of me, there is no particular person just someone who is tough and will progress my career in the direction of a title shot.

NWFS: I noticed you walking around at UFC Portland. Did anyone recognize you then? Are people starting to come up to you now? 
Story: I was signed with the UFC then but I was fresh off of my loss to Hathaway and the fight wasn't televised so not really too much recognition for that one. Only local fighters and local fans that were following me before the UFC were the people who recognized me. At this point not many people are coming up to me, but as time goes on it seems more and more people are starting to recognize me. 

NWFS: Anything else you would like to say?
Story: To those who are working up the ranks to make it to the big show, "There are a million reasons not to train, but when you find that one reason to train and give it your all, that's when big things start to happen."

NWFS: Anyone you would like to thank?
Story: Thanks to Pat White, Rudy Garza, & my team Brave Legion for preparing me for this fight. Thanks to my sponsors, Hitman Fight Gear, Dollamur Sports Surfaces.

NWFS thanks Rick for taking the time out for this interview. Check out Rick's Fight Team at BraveLegion.com and his own web presence at  myspace.com/rickystory.

Learn more about UFC 112 taking place on Sat, April 10th at UFC.com.