Rivalries: Tim Means

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:

Jorge Masvidal

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.

Dhiego Lima

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.

Matt Brown

“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.

Alex Oliveira

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.

Belal Muhammad

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.

Mike Perry

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.