McGee had lost three straight coming into the fight, and at 39, retirement was no doubt on the horizon. “The Dirty Bird” Means was already 40, and 1-4 in his last five, almost certainly in the same boat.

An early takedown attempt and clinch battle along the fence resulted in nothing more than a return to center in the card’s curtain-jerker. About 90 seconds in, McGee ripped off a combination that had Means covering up. A few more blows from McGee and he closed the distance, earning a takedown. From there, he threatened to take the back, getting one hook in but struggling to find space with the pair right up against the cage. McGee would finally position Means a bit off the fence, then went hunting for a rear-naked choke. When McGee finally did get that second hook in, he almost fell over the top, but managed to hang on and get the back with Means sitting against him.

The rear-naked choke went in place moments later, and Means suddenly tapped! Means could be seen touching his neck afterwards, but appeared to be okay.

“I feel so much better with my neck working. It’s so much easier to compete and train,” McGee, who recently had his neck repaired, said following the win, speaking with Joe Rogan.

Official Result: Court McGee def. Tim Means by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:19

The post Court McGee Kicks Off UFC 307 with Submission of Tim Means appeared first on Cageside Press.

For the first card back after UFC 300, UFC Vegas 91 boasted four finishes of the six fights on the main card. Alex Perez got the job done against Matheus Nicolau in a pivotal flyweight bout in the main event, earning his first win in years.

A couple of fighters are under some pressure after the results on Saturday so there could be some interesting matchups moving forward.

Matheus Nicolau

After previous opponent Manel Kape was forced out of the bout, Alex Perez stepped in on short notice against a top five fighter in Matheus Nicolau.

Perez was able to get the job done in round two, finishing Nicolau with a hook. Tough loss for Matheus as he has now lost two fights in a row. Nicolau has twice tried and twice failed to rematch Manel Kape after winning their first fight via split decision in March of 2021.

For the time being, Matheus should abandon that Kape rematch. Matheus should instead fight 15-2 Tagir Ulanbekov. Tagir is 4-1 in the UFC only having lost to top ranked veteran Tim Elliot in 2022 via unanimous decision.

Alex Perez was originally slated to fight Tagir Ulanbekov on June 15th before Perez was called to save the card when Kape fell out. Tagir has won two in a row, submitting Nate Maness and Cody Durden.

Ulanbekov was actually scheduled to fight Matheus for his second fight in the UFC back in 2021. But the fight would fall thru twice. Perfect fight to make.

Nicolau’s next fight: Tagir Ulanbekov

Ryan Spann

Just two fights into his UFC career, Bogdan Guskov finished Spann in the second round on Saturday night. Ryan Spann has now lost three fights in a row since stopping Dominick Reyes in the first round at the end of 2022.

Currently, there are a lot of moving parts on the outskirts of the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings. As well as a lot of fighters that are on impressive win streaks.

Spann lost to top 10 light heavyweight, Anthony Smith in a split decision just last August. Smith is fighting 11-0 Vitor Petrino, who is just breaking into the top 15, on UFC 301 at the end of the week. Giving Spann the loser of that fight doesn’t make much since at this current time.

Dustin Jacoby is slated to fight Dominick Reyes in June and even though giving Spann the loser is tempting its ultimately not the right move either. As Dominick’s most recent fight after some time away and several canceled fights was actually the fight against Spann.

The best fight to make for Ryan Spann would be a fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu. Spann is now 7-5 in the UFC and Kennedy is 6-5 with the promotion. Nzechukwu has lost two fights in a row being finished by Dustin Jacoby last year before losing a split decision to Ovince St. Preux earlier this year.

Spann’s next fight: Kennedy Nzechukwu

Ariane Lipski

Ariane entered the octagon on Saturday night on a three-fight win streak having defeated JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto and finishing Casey O’Neil. Lipski would lose a unanimous decision to Karine Silva who is undefeated at 4-0 in the UFC.

Lipski failed to secure the victory and now finds herself towards the bottom of the top 15 at flyweight.

Ariane should fight the loser of the upcoming Viviane Araujo vs Jasmine Jasudavicius bout on July 13th. Jasmine will be battling for Araujo’s top 10 ranking and the loser of the bout would be a good matchup for Ariane. Jasmine Jasdavicius is coming off of a third-round finish against Priscila Cachoeira who was Ariane’s most recent loss (before Saturday). And Araujo’s last win was in October of 2023 against Jennifer Maia.

Miranda Maverick would also be a solid backup if Ariane was ready to go earlier. Miranda last fought in February against Andrea Lee and before that defeated Priscila Cachoeira. Maverick also has the added bonus of currently being ranked in the Top 15.

Lipiski’s next fight: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Viviane Araujo loser or Miranda Maverick

Austen Lane

Austen Lane is winless in his UFC career so far with an 0-2, 1 NC, record with the promotion. After the loss Saturday, Lane’s now been finished twice by men with under 10 fights and has a no contest due to eye pokes against Justin Tafa, the same man to later stop him.

A two-time veteran of the Contender Series, Lane had his UFC dreams postponed by a now former UFC fighter, Gerg Hardy, back in 2018. Lane would win his second Contender Series bout in 2022 and has been struggling since then.

Caio Machado lost earlier on in the night against Don’Tale Mayes. Machado is also winless in the UFC at 0-2 and is also a Contender Series veteran. Timeline would also potentially matchup for that bout and that is the fight to make.

Lane’s next fight: Caio Machado

Jonathan Pearce

After Saturday night, Jonathan Pearce is now two tough losses removed from his remarkable five-fight win streak that lasted from 2020 to late 2022. A streak that featured finishes over Kai Kamaka III, Omar Morales and Makwan Amirkhani.

Bad luck struck Pearce, as he was injured and his scheduled fight against top ranked UFC featherweight, Bryce Mitchell, had to be cancelled.

Once he returned, Perce was ninja choked in the second round by Joanderson Brito in November of 2023. And now, Pearce lost a unanimous decision to David Onama. Pearce’s opponent missed weight before the bout and so it makes sense to throw Pearce a little bit of a bone here as he the bout could have very well have won fight of the night otherwise.

Pearce should fight the loser of the Sean Woodson and Alex Caceres bout that takes place May 11th. Pearce is now 5-3 in the UFC and was actually slated to fight Sean Woodson back in 2020 before Woodson withdrew. Woodson has not lost in five bouts, with a finish, three decisions, and a split draw to Luis Saldana in the time period. Caceres has won two of his last three only losing in his most recent bout, to Giga Chikadze via decision.

Pearce’s next fight: Sean Woodson vs Alex Caceres loser

Tim Means

40-year-old Tim Means has now lost four of his last five fights and has been finished three times. Means was brutally stopped by Uros Medic in the first round of their bout on Saturday.

Tim’s next fight in the UFC will be his 30th bout with the promotion, what better occasion to give him another equally tenured legend?

Matt Brown was last in action last May when he finished Court McGee in the first round. Brown, now 43 years old has won two of his last five fights including a split decision loss to Bryan Barberena in 2022.

It would be a rematch as the pair first met nearly nine years ago. Brown would get the victory on that night in 2015 as he submitted Means in the first round via guillotine.

It would be a fun fight to run back.

Means’ next fight: Matt Brown 

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Medic had been all-action and quite good when allowed to strike in the past, but wrestling had been his kryptonite. Forty year old Tim Means tried to enforce that wrestling, but found an improved Uros to be a brick wall in front of him. This brick wall attacked right back, and got one of the best knockouts of the year in the end.

Means shot a takedown at the explosive striker right when the bout started, but could only gain a clinch. Medic eventually worked his way free and landed a big elbow on the break. Means struck with him then shot again, getting to the clinch again in a great show of balance by Medic, who broke free after a longer period the second time. They got back to the striking realms, but this time the bout stopped there. Tim Means level changed right into a brutal left uppercut, stiffening Means like a board. Herb Dean did not immediately step in, so Means took one more punch before it ended.

After ensuring himself a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus, a seemingly unenthusiastic the Croatia-born Medic told Daniel Cormier that his lack of celebration because the lead up to this was harder than other fights for him. When he finally saw his own knockout he put the welterweight division on notice, saying, “I sometimes look at my hands when I’m alone, going, ‘What the hell?'” With knockout power like that he will be a dangerous opponent for whoever faces those hands next.

Official Result: Uros Medic def. Tim Means by TKO, Round 1, 2:09

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“He shows up to fight. I’m excited it’s going to be a good fight,” Medic told reporters on Wednesday.

“He is a veteran. You’ve got to respect that. This is a sport where men die young, and when you see an old man you got to respect that.”

Medic (9-2) comes into this fight having lost his last bout against Myktybek Orolbai who used a wrestling-heavy game plan. Having drawn Means in this one could turn this bout into a standup war.

“He probably watched my last fight so he’s like oh maybe I’ll take this guy down. He can try. I definitely did work on it (takedown defense) so let’s get it,” said Medic.

Even with Means’ vast experience in MMA Medic believes he not only has what it takes to beat him, but is also keeping an eye on a bonus for this one.

“I’m pretty confident in my ability to finish fights, and he gets hit. I hit pretty hard. I finished a lot of guys that have never been finished in the UFC including (Omar) Morales and Matthew Semelsberger,” he said.

“I finished both of them. For whatever reason I didn’t get a bonus for neither one of those fights and I will keep that against them. Specially for Semelsberger. Whoever was there to see the chaos in the arena after my spinning back fist and then not award me with a bonus?

I’ll make sure to cement that this time so they can write the three checks out.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Uros Medic above. He takes on Tim Means at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday night.

The post Uros Medic Thought He Earned A Bonus Against Semelsberger appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I hope ya’ll keep the same energy. Show up with $300,000 bonuses,” Means told reporters on Wednesday.

“Don’t mess around. Let’s talk about it. Let’s at least sit down in the room whenever we do our rules meeting over here Saturday night and let’s have a discussion. Damn right.”

What should the number be raised to?

“$300,000. It can’t go back you know. It’s not bragging if you back it up like for real. What are we doing? What are we talking about here? Keep it the same. Same energy. You want to see some fun fights in APEX,” Means said.

Means (33-15-1) will face Medic at the APEX who is coming off a submission loss last November.

“What is he 9-2? I think what’s more importantly is how many fights he has at this level with that few fights. I think he’s a dangerous guy and he’s going to meet me in the middle, we’re going to figure it out,” he said.

“He’s left handed, he’s very very aggressive and I don’t think either one of us like to back up and that makes a very fun fight.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Tim Means above. He takes on Uros Medic at UFC Vegas 91 on Saturday night.

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While the highly anticipated lightweight showdown between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot had a great start on Saturday, Fiziev appeared to blow out his knee off a kick in the second round, bringing about a premature end to his night, and the fight.

As a result, Gamrot picked up an injury TKO win, but was out of the running for a bonus. Instead, Fight of the Night honors went to welterweights Tim Means and Andre Fialho, who put on a thriller on the preliminary card.

Both fighters started the night on three-fight skids, and there’s a possibility that even off a bonus, this could be the last time Fialho fights in the UFC. Then again, he’s an action-fighter, and the promotion would be wise to give him another go.

Main card players Charles Jourdain and Marina Rodriguez picked up Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 79, meanwhile. “Air” Jourdain, best known as a striker, proved to be no slouch on the ground after submitting Brazil’s Ricardo Ramos with a guillotine choke in the opening round. The win puts Canada’s Jourdain on a modest two-fight win streak in a loaded featherweight division.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, battered a game and gutsy Michelle Waterson-Gomez before finally putting “The Karate Hottie” away via TKO in the second round of their strawweight fight.

All four bonus-winning fighters walk away from UFC Vegas 79 with an extra $50,000 for their efforts, beyond their purse, outfitting pay etc.

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This fight was must-win for both fighters. After a fast start to his UFC career in 2022, Portugal’s Fialho found himself on a three-fight skid against “The Dirty Bird,” who needed to avoid his own crash landing after dropping his last three bouts.

The fight opened with both fighters finding their range for a couple of seconds before Fialho attempted a takedown. Means shut it down and the two returned to standing. Fialho pressured Means to the cage, but in a flurry of action, Means kneed Fialho in the face and took him to the ground where he repeatedly struck the Portuguese fighter. Fialho quickly recovered guard, but Means stayed dominant until the two scrambled back to standing where Fialho pressured Means back to the cage. After a brief scrap with good counters from Fialho, the two fighters ended round one in the middle of the octagon.

Round two, Fialho did not want to engage right away, unlike round one. After a slick backhand and teep kick from Means, Fialho was backed up to the cage. His back to the cage, Fialho let his “dog” out, and let his fists fly, hurting Means. The veteran shot for a single-leg, but Fialho stuffed it, still attacking the veteran. Means recovered and reversed the position, using his knees and elbows to his advantage with Fialho stuck to the back of the cage. They broke and returned to the middle, trading different punches and kicks before Means pushed Fialho back with his punches and nasty knees. Capitalizing on a knee from Means, Fialho executed a beautiful single leg. Not to stay down for long, Means scrambled out of it, reversed the position, and got to Fialho’s back. He changed position, pushing Fialho to his back and threw a barrage of punches. Fialho was saved by the horn’s blare, sending the fight to the third round.

Straightaway in round three, Means went on the offensive. Pushing the pace, Means attacked Fialho who sent a heavy roundhouse kick to Means’ stomach. Means returned it with a head kick and a flurry of fists rocked the Portuguese fighter and, with heavy hits, ended the fight via TKO, stopping his three-fight skid and moving Fialho to a four-fight skid.

Official Result: Tim Means def. Andre Fialho by TKO (punches), Round 3, 3:45

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Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has been known during his UFC run as a low-volume knockout artist with a weakness for wrestler/grapplers who is not quite within reach of the belt. He entered his main event opportunity against Jailton Almeida as the ninth-ranked heavyweight in the UFC. Now, he will fall a few spots after losing to #12.

Right in the same vicinity of Jairzinho at #11, and with a similar style of fighting, is the fan-favorite ‘Black Beast,’ Derrick Lewis. It feels like the two have always been on somewhat of a collision course, with fans recognizing that a fight between such similar fighters was inevitable some day. Now is the time to make that fight and test both fighters as they look to recover from losses.

Rozenstruik’s Next Fight: Derrick Lewis

Anthony Smith

‘Lionheart’ made it to the scorecards as his opponent, Johnny Walker, often let Smith off the hook when he was hurt in round three, but Anthony showed resiliency to fight through the damage, especially to his legs. His toughness has never been in question, just his true level at light heavyweight.

Johnny Walker now pushes Smith, once again, back down the rankings after entering the fight ranked fifth at light heavyweight. On the other hand, rising at 205lbs is undefeated Russian Azamat Murzakanov. Smith would be the stiffest test of Murzakanov’s career and his well-rounded game may present problems for Azamat, but the fight is winnable for either man and would tell the world a lot about where they each stand in their careers right now. Assuming Smith chooses to fight on.

Smith’s Next Fight: Azamat Murzakanov

Daniel Rodriguez

Rodriguez lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, as well as most likely losing his ranking, after Ian Garry head-kicked him and followed up for a TKO via ground strikes at UFC Charlotte. ‘D-Rod’ had risen to prominence during the pandemic era of the UFC by accepting numerous short notice fights and beating stars like Kevin Lee and Mike Perry, but now he will fall out of the top 15 and look to right the ship, with an eye towards gaining back his ranking soon.

In the past, D-Rod was booked to fight budding superstar Kevin Holland but that fight was scrapped when UFC 279 was rearranged on the day before the fights after Khamzat Chimaev’s infamous weight miss. With Holland on the rise again after his knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio, the D-Rod fight is the perfect one to make. The two fighters’ exciting striking styles would likely make for a thrilling battle on the feet.

Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Kevin Holland

Ihor Potieria

Potieria fell to 1-2 in the UFC after getting stopped quickly by Carlos Ulberg at UFC Charlotte. One more loss could spell the end of his young UFC run and so he should be matched up withs someone whose job is on the line. A positive to takeaway from Potieria is that he is an action fighter; his fights have thus far all ended inside the distance in the UFC. A fellow striker with an exciting style who is at the lower end of light heavyweight, like Tafon Nchukwi, would make a lot of sense

Potieria’s Next Fight: Tafon Nchukwi

Tim Means

Tim ‘The Dirty Bird’ Means was doing well in a high-paced fight before Alex Morono jumped the guillotine and forced him to tap early in round two. Although the forty-eight fight veteran is on a three fight losing streak, he still seems to have a good bit left in the tank at age thirty-nine.

One potential fight for Means’ next bout is another athlete who lost on this card: Court McGee. McGee is a fellow veteran of the fight game and so neither would be a proverbial sacrificial lamb for young talent if they were to fight each other. Both are on the downslope of their careers but not quite ready to call it quits, so this fight makes sense.

Means’ Next Fight: Court McGee

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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

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The promotion’s first trip to Charlotte since 2017 airs on ABC, bringing with it the potential of a much larger audience than normal. There’s a good reason for the fight’s card placement, and it’s the violent nature of the affair.

“Alex Morono, man, violent fighter. Good guy, you back a good guy in the corner, poke a dog with a stick, and you get bit,” Means (32-14-1, 1NC) observed during this week’s media day. “And I think you got both of that on both aspects of this. This fight has violence written all over it.”

Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press, Means fielded a question on the type of fight he expected.

“I think we’re both technical guys that get behind rangy jabs and long left or right hands.” said Means. “I think there’s going to be good exchanges or whatever, but I think there’s going to be a big shot that does land, and this fight won’t go the distance.”

If there’s one finish he might be most happy with, meanwhile, it’s the body shot.

“I like body shots, I’ve been playing a lot with body shots and leg kicks or whatever. Hate to pinpoint down to one thing, but if I can get a cool knockout moment, it’s going to be a walk-off liver shot.”

Tim Means is a veteran of both the sport, and the UFC itself. As to what keeps him going at this stage of his career, “I enjoy competition, I enjoy competing,” explained Means. “Part of it— When I first started this, hell you could have a beer and grab a hot dog at the bar and go get in a fight. Now they’ve got all this damn science in this, you’ve got to eat this food to not get sore over here and do this.”

Means added that he carries “a lot on my shoulder in my community,” and aims to lead by example. “I expect my wrestlers on my team to show up to practice, and if I’m enforcing them to be at practice, I’ve got to be at practice too. And I expect the same from my coaches to be on me and expect me to be there too.”

At 39, Means knows his window in fighting is closing — but all these years later, “it’s just as exciting as if I was walking here for my first fight.”

Watch the full UFC Charlotte media day appearance by Tim Means above.

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