Tim Means

Overview

Tim Means has lost six UFC fights by submission, and he has also landed strikes at a rate far better than the UFC average. That is the whole Dirty Bird in one contrast: a striker who is hard to hit, and a welterweight who has been caught on the mat more than almost anything else has beaten him.

Means debuted in February 2012 and holds a 15-14 UFC record with one no contest (33-17-1 with one NC across all promotions). He is not a champion, and nothing in his run suggests a title push. He is a long-tenured Albuquerque veteran who has taken the fights and produced finishes: eight of his 15 UFC wins ended before the judges.

He carries a two-fight losing streak into his next fight.

UFC Career

Means opened 2-0, a unanimous decision over Bernardo Magalhaes followed by a 1:06 first-round TKO of Justin Salas. Then came three straight decision losses to Jorge Masvidal, Danny Castillo and Neil Magny.

The 2014 to 2016 stretch was his best. A decision over Hernani Perpetuo started a four-fight win streak, his longest in the UFC, and he added a split decision over Marcio Alexandre Junior, a first-round TKO of Dhiego Lima and a third-round submission of George Sullivan. A first-round submission loss to Matt Brown in July 2015, one of the stronger opponents of his career, ended that run. He bounced back with TKOs of John Howard and Sabah Homasi.

His December 2016 fight with Alex Oliveira was ruled a no contest in round 1. The rematch three months later ended in a second-round submission loss.

From there his career turned into a series of swings. A TKO of Ricky Rainey in 1:18 and a first-round submission of Thiago Alves were sandwiched between losses to Niko Price, who finished him at 4:50 of round 1, and Daniel Rodriguez. Decisions over Laureano Staropoli, Mike Perry and Nicolas Dalby kept him afloat.

The recent record is harder. He has lost to Kevin Holland, Max Griffin, Alex Morono, Uroš Medić and Court McGee, with one win in that stretch, a third-round TKO of Andre Fialho in September 2023.

Fifteen wins, 14 losses, and a career built on volume rather than margin.

Fighting Style

Means is a busy striker who is hard to hit. He throws and lands at a high clip and defends well, though he still absorbs strikes at about the UFC average, so his volume is not free.

On the ground, the picture is lopsided. He is very hard to take down, but he rarely shoots for takedowns himself and almost never hunts for submissions. He is not a grappling threat.

Submissions are still how he has lost most often. Six of his 14 UFC losses came that way, against two by KO/TKO and six by decision. When he does get taken down, it tends to end badly.

His own finishes come early. Four of his eight finishes came in round 1, two in round 2 and two in round 3. Six were knockouts and two were submissions.

Notable Wins

• Thiago Alves — submission, round 1 (2:38), UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik (2019)
• George Sullivan — submission, round 3 (3:41), UFC on FOX: Machida vs Rockhold (2015)
• Dhiego Lima — KO/TKO, round 1 (2:17), UFC 184: Rousey vs Zingano (2015)
• Mike Perry — unanimous decision, UFC 255 (2020)

Quick Facts

• Division: Welterweight
• UFC record: 15-14, 1 NC
• Professional record (all promotions): 33-17-1 (1 NC)
• UFC debut: 2012
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 6'2" / 75"
• Team: FIT NHB Albuquerque, NM
• Born: Wilburton, OK, United States