After 12 years, Means still happy to be fighting in UFC
For Tim Means’ 40th birthday (Feb. 20), the UFC gave him a new, four-fight contract.
Well … OK. The contract wasn’t actually a birthday gift; it and the birthday more or less coincided in time.
That doesn’t make Means any less appreciative. Entering his 29th fight under the UFC banner — Saturday against Uros Medic in Las Vegas, Nevada— the Moriarty MMA welterweight has only good things to say about a relationship that began 12 years ago.
“The UFC’s been good to me,” Means said on Wednesday in a phone interview from Las Vegas. “They negotiate well, the higher-ups that we work out our contracts with. It’s been a pleasure all these years.
“I know they get a bad rap about fighter pay and this and that, but if we’ve had questions, we’ve asked, and they’ve given us answers and here we are.” The feeling appears to be mutual. “I know the (UFC) staff real well,” Means said. “They talk to me a lot; they tell me I’m one of their favorites.
“I’m easy to work with. I never put too much on their plate. I’m never a diva. If I’ve got something to ask I ask, find a way to meet in the middle and see what we can do.”
And why wouldn’t the UFC like him? Through 15 UFC wins and 12 UFC losses with one no contest, he’s brought action
and entertainment value to every card he’s been on.
From June 2022 to May 2023, Means lost three fights in a row. The UFC stuck with him, and Means rewarded himself and the organization with a victory by first-round TKO over Andre Fialho last September.
The victory over Fialho earned Means a $50,000 performance bonus.
Means (33-15-1) is an underdog (plus-250) against the 31-year-old Medic (9-2), but “The Dirty Bird” has won as an underdog before, most recently against Fialho.
He likes the matchup against Medic, an Anchorage, Alaska fighter nicknamed, for obvious reasons, “The Doctor.” Like Means, Medic is left-handed and predominantly a striker.
“Yeah, kickboxer guy,” Means said. “I think he has like 10 fights (actually 11), which isn’t very many. But the amount of fights he already has at this level (five in the UFC) … is fairly impressive to me.
“I’ve got to mix it up and use all my tools to make this guy uncomfortable.”
Means’ own comfort level was challenged in preparation for Saturday by events in his life.
In late February, as co-head coach of the Moriarty High School wrestling team with his wife, boxer and MMA fighter Brenda Gonzales Means, he guided Pintos wrestlers — one of them the Means’ daughter, Lilly Shoemate-Means, a freshman, to three runner-up finishes at the state tournament.
Kristina Means, Lilly’s older sister and a sophomore, also qualified for state. Combined, the two sisters compiled a 71-13 record for the season.
(And, no, Means doesn’t particularly want either of them to ever fight MMA).
Barely a week after state, Gonzales Means underwent spinal surgery (she’s recovering well and is expected to be in Las Vegas for Saturday’s fight).
Meanwhile, several possible opponents came and went before Medic took the fight.
None of that, Means said, have affected his readiness for Saturday.
After 50 professional MMA fights, not much does.
“I was training and dieting the whole time,” he said. “… You’ve got to have a little bit of a struggle to get things to go right.”
Having signed up for four more fights at age 40, Means said his latest contract is probably his last.
“More than likely, that’s gonna be the end of it, we’ll see,” he said. “I think sports science has added a lot of longevity to a lot of athletes now, but I’m just not sure I want to cut weight anymore.
“So we’ll grind out these last few rights and go from there.”
Means-Medic is expected to lead off Saturday’s main card, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and available on ESPN and ESPN+.
ABOUT THE BONUSES: At Means’ pre-fight news conference in Las Vegas, he generated headlines by encouraging UFC President Dana White to continue the practice of awarding $300,000 performance and fight of the night bonuses as White did for the first time at UFC 300 on April 13.
“I hope you guys (the UFC) keep the same energy and show up with $300,000 bonuses,” he said. “Don’t mess around. Let’s talk about it.”
That likely would be a short conversation.