Means thrilled to be part of UFC 202 show
Albuquerque fighter was facing a 2-year suspension before ruling was overthrown
Tim Means is a patient man. He didn’t become one by choice. But, nevertheless, the Albuquerque fighter coming off a controversial suspension for a banned substance that was determined he did not knowingly take, has leaned heavily on the virtuous trait a lot since his last UFC fight in December.
Now, when Means (25-7-1) returns to the octagon against Sabah Homasi (11-5) on the main card of tonight’s UFC 202 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nev., Means hopes he can show it off a little bit longer.
Welterweights Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are the main event.
Said Means: “I was talking with a teammate (earlier this week) about the risk of getting too excited too soon (in the fight). But, you know, I’ve been so patient through this whole ordeal with USADA (the United States Anti-Doping Agency) and just patiently waiting ...
“You can take it back to the times I was sitting in jail (Means was in and out of jail when he was an admitted drug addict almost a decade ago) and I had to patiently wait for a judge to call my number to come get me and bring me to court. I’ve learned to be super patient in life and I’ve been super patient now.” But it hasn’t been easy. After an impressive second round KO of John Howard on Dec. 10, the FIT-NHB star landed the fight of his career with fellow fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who trains at that other Albuquerque gym: Jackson-Wink MMA.
But shortly before that February fight, Means tested positive for a banned substance and faced a twoyear ban from the sport.
While he got the help of a team of people to prove he did no wrong, the 32-year-old Means took a $9-perhour welding job “to keep myself busy and keep myself out of trouble.”
Eventually, with the help of an attorney, his team, his family and even USADA, Means proved his innocence. But it wasn’t cheap. He estimates he’s out easily more than $200,000 in attorney fees and lost fight wages and plans to sue the supplement company.
That’s why he was ecstatic in June to find out he’d be fighting on the UFC 202 card. Even when his original foe dropped out because of injury, the UFC showed its opinion of him by assuring him it would find a new opponent.
“I feel the UFC thinks highly of me by putting me on the main card right out of the gate my first fight back,” Means said. “And when my opponent fell out, (FIT-NHB owner) Tom Vaughn was on the phone immediately with (UFC’s) Joe Silva, who said not to worry. They’d make sure they found someone for me to fight.”
When they did, Homasi wasted no time getting Means in a fighting mood, saying earlier this week that he hopes Means is “off the juice.”
“He’s got a beating coming on Saturday,” Means said. “… I’ve still got that little bit of white trash in me where that kind of (trash talk) helps fuel my fire.” WEIGH-INS: Means (171) and Homasi (170.5) made weight Friday for their welterweight fight. So, too, did Cerrone (170) and his main card opponent, Rick Story (171).