Longtime UFC veteran welterweights Tim Means, with his twenty-six UFC bouts, and Alex Morono, with his seventeen, stepped into the octagon with each other at UFC Charlotte to kick off the main card.
A combined forty-three UFC fights between two fighters is rare, and while neither is a ranked contender or anything of the sort, that level of experience says a lot about the talent, intelligence, and toughness of a fighter in MMA.
Means and Morono fought in an open stance match-up, with Means southpaw and Morono orthodox. They got after it from the very beginning, constantly throwing varied offense. Both fighters ate some hellacious shots which did not even appear to stun them although Means began to leak blood from his nose early on. They were also offensive from every range: kicking range, pocket striking, and dirty clinch striking. Neither man was able to gain a vast advantage over the other, though Tim Means appeared to have a slight lead in damage.
Means pressed forward but Morono mostly led the dance with Tim just pressing forward to draw out those strikes and counter. The first round ended with a blitzing jump knee from Means followed by a vicious combination against the fence which may have sealed the round for ‘The Dirty Bird.’
Round two continued the same dynamic from the first and more non-stop action, though. Two mins into the second round Means ducked in for a takedown and Morono snatched up his neck before sitting back on the guillotine. Morono locked up full guard and Tim Means was forced to tap. The fight was over in the blink of an eye.
The Great White GETS IT DONE!!!! 🙌@AlexMoronoMMA | #UFCCharlotte | LIVE on @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/Sqi21DDqqv
— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023
Official Result: Alex Morono def. Tim Means by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 2:09
