Rick Story was pretty stoked when he got the call to headline his first UFC event.

He wasn't crazy about it being in Stockholm because, in his words, traveling for a fight "always sucks." But for a main event, for the first time in his six-year UFC career? Done.

Then he got to thinking: Why him?

Story, 30, is 4-5 in his past nine fights. He's not highly ranked or even on a winning streak. That's when it dawned on him the UFC might be sending him half a world away to basically be dinner for an Icelandic welterweight prospect by the name of Gunnar Nelson.

"I was kind of surprised when I got the main event," Story told ESPN.com. "And then I sat and thought about it and realized Gunnar is from over there. They are trying to see if he's ready for a step up in competition. I kind of felt like, maybe I'm the sacrificial lamb for Gunnar to catapult himself into the top 10."

Nelson (13-0-1), despite praising Story's hard-nosed fighting style, acknowledged this weekend's fight at Ericsson Globe Arena represents a chance to prove himself over a well-tested opponent.

"The opportunity here is to fight Rick Story, who is very experienced and has fought a lot of tough guys," Nelson said. "Going against him is an opportunity to grow and also get my name out there. Climb the ladder faster. Get up there and get more money."

Story (17-8) says he isn't letting this realization, true or not, ruin his Scandinavian trip.

A 16-fight veteran of the Octagon, Story understands where he is in the 170-pound landscape. He is one of only two men to have ever gotten the better of current UFC champion Johny Hendricks, but that December 2010 win feels like it was light years ago. For the past four years, he's been a .500 fighter.

This year, however, Story made a major career change. He severed all ties with longtime coach Pat White and joined The MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona. The move was desperately needed, as Story says he and White had not seen eye-to-eye for years. The only reason he stuck with him as long as he did, Story said, was financial.

"Honestly, I outgrew him a long time ago, but I was part-owner of a business with him and I had invested quite a bit," Story said.

Story is currently trying to recoup money he says he lent to White for a fitness center in Vancouver, Washington. The legal process could drag on for an extended period of time, but Story says all contact between him and White is now made through lawyers.

It actually took his girlfriend and her mother to persuade Story to break ties with White, whom he began training with at the age of 22.

"My girlfriend and her mother are involved with psychology and they printed out a list of symptoms of psychological abuse," Story said. "I ran down the list and I was experiencing them from Pat. While I was reading it, I was like, 'I'm not a punk. I can't stay with this, now that I know it's going on.'"

Story, who was in title contention in 2011 due to a six-fight win streak, says the move to The MMA Lab has reinvigorated his career and given him confidence against opponents such as the undefeated Nelson, who trains out of Iceland and SBG Ireland, alongside featherweight phenom Conor McGregor.

"The biggest change is that I actually go into practice excited," Story said. "For a long time I hated going to practice because I didn't want to be around Pat and I knew we were doing stupid things in the camp. It's really a great thing to be away from him and, hopefully, consistency comes back for me."

Last weekend, American Top Team product Dustin Poirier was in a situation similar to Story -- as he represented what many felt to be the first real test of McGregor's career at UFC 178. McGregor passed with flying colors, knocking out Poirier inside the first round.

Story admits he watched the fight with vested interest and was impressed with McGregor's fluidity, something he expects to see in his fight against Nelson.

He understands the role he might be in -- sent to Sweden to build up the résumé of a younger, more promising prospect. Obviously, he has other thoughts for his first main event.

"As long as I can keep a pace up on him and make him work hard to try and take me down multiple times," Story said. "That's definitely going to take a toll on him.

"I'm pretty strong. Having to deal with my strength is going to wear him out. Granted, I'm sure he's comfortable grappling with bigger, stronger people. But at the same time, when those people are hitting you back, it's [a different story]."