Tim
Means finally has some momentum with which to work.
Still a factor in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, the
38-year-old Tom Vaughn protégé will match wits and fists with
Kevin
Holland in a featured
UFC on ESPN 37 pairing this Saturday at the Moody Center in
Austin, Texas. Means climbs into the cage on the heels of three
consecutive victories—his longest such streak since 2015. He last
competed at UFC Fight Night 190, where he was awarded a unanimous
decision over former
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder
Nicolas
Dalby on June 26.
As Means approaches his intriguing battle with Holland at 185
pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his
career to this point:
The
American Top Team mainstay handed Means his first loss in
nearly three years when he was awarded a unanimous verdict in their
UFC on Fox 7 lightweight prelim on April 20, 2013 at the HP
Pavilion in San Jose, California. All three judges struck 29-28
scorecards. Masvidal utilized a potent mix of strikes and takedowns
against the former two-division
King of
the Cage champion. Means did some excellent work of his own,
particularly off of his back, opening a cut on the Miami native
with an elbow midway through the bout. Masvidal weathered his
attacks, maintained a dominant position and made a successful first
run inside the Octagon. The defeat snapped Means’ career-best
nine-fight winning streak.
Means dispatched “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 finalist with
punches in the first round of their UFC 184 welterweight prelim on
Feb. 28, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Lima succumbed
to blows 2:17 into Round 1, the unwitting victim in one of his
violent counterpart’s most complete performances. Means tagged the
Atlanta-based Brazilian with punches against the cage and folded
him with a perfectly placed knee strike. From there, Lima’s
situation only grew worse. Means let loose with everything in his
arsenal, from straight punches to standing elbows. He tracked the
wounded Lima across the cage after he returned to his feet, blasted
him into a slouched position with a straight left on the button and
finished him with follow-up punches.
“The Ultimate Fighter 7” graduate turned away Means with a
guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC 189
prelim on July 11, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Means conceded defeat 4:44 into Round 1, suffering his first
submission defeat in more than five years. The former King of the
Cage champion made Brown work for the ground he gained. Means
staggered the Ohio native with a right hand and later connected
with one of his patented standing elbows. The offensive maneuvers
were not enough to keep the ferocious Brown at bay. He answered
with a pair of standing elbows of his own, forced Means to dive on
a takedown and snatched a no-arm guillotine to prompt the
tapout.
The Tata Fight Team submitted Means with a rear-naked choke in the
second round of their UFC Fight Night 106 rematch on March 11, 2017
at the Northeast Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. The
end came 2:38 into Round 2, a little more than two months after
their ill-fated first encounter concluded in a no contest. Oliveira
neutralized the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native in the clinch and
frustrated him with a series of takedowns in the first round. Means
took top position with roughly 90 seconds remaining in the frame
but failed to alter the direction of the fight with meaningful
damage. Oliveira went back to the takedown well in the middle
stanza, climbed to the back and secured his position with hooks.
Soon after, the choke was in place, the outcome sealed.
The resourceful
Roufusport product bagged a split decision against Means in
their UFC Fight Night 121 welterweight attraction on Nov. 18, 2017
at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. All three cageside judges scored it
29-28: Evan Field and
Kevin
Manderson for Muhammad, Charlie Keech for Means. Muhammad set
the tone with a strong first round, completed the lone takedown and
registered the only control time of the hotly contested 15-minute
battle—all of which helped him overcome being outstruck by a narrow
margin. Means landed three more significant strikes, 91-88, in the
three-round pairing at 170 pounds.
Clean multi-punch combinations, sneaky standing elbows and
exceptional lateral movement spurred Means to a unanimous decision
over the polarizing “Platinum Mike” in their UFC 255 welterweight
showcase on Nov. 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were
30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. Perry—who missed weight for the match by a
whopping 4.5 pounds—surprised the Fit NHB representative with a
takedown inside the first minute, progressed to the back and hunted
a rear-naked choke. A short-notice replacement for
Robbie
Lawler, Means withstood his efforts, pushed the fight deeper
and let his superior all-around skills do the rest. He spent the
second and third rounds chewing up Perry’s face with sharp punches
from both hands and a variety of other weapons, including a
consistent and ever-present jab. Means even obliged the Floridian
with a few wild exchanges on the feet, living to tell the tale.