Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight scrappers Tim Means and Sabah Homasi threw down last night (Aug. 20, 2016) at UFC 202 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming off a six-month suspension due to a USADA infraction, Means needed a strong performance last night. Opposite a debuting and short-notice opponent, violence was the expected outcome for "The Dirty Bird." On the other hand, Homasi came into this bout without much to lose. As a relative unknown, Homasi could flip the script by landing his own power punches and sending his foe to bed early.
Unfortunately for the American Top Team-trained fighter, his opponent put on a show.
Means opened with lots of pressure, tagging his opponent with straight lefts and knees. Homasi was trying to circle around the Octagon and kick, but he switched that strategy up after getting tagged, landing a takedown.
It didn’t take long for Means to return to his feet, and he immediately began stalking his foe once again. Rather than return to his movement, Homasi stood his ground against the fence, winging punches, but Means avoided those power shots well and landed his own hard punches. Plus, Means carved his opponent up with elbows in the clinch, opening up a deep cut.
Means smelled the finish several times, but Homasi survived the first round.
For the most part, Means picked up where he left off to start the second, walking his opponent into the fence and picking him apart. In particular, Means was ripping his opponent’s mid-section apart, digging into his foe with snap kicks and punches. By the halfway point in the round, Homasi was a bloody and battered mess. Means never elevated into second gear; he patiently destroyed his opponent. Before long, Homasi had stopped returning punches, which was enough for referee Herb Dean to call the bout.
This was a spectacular performance by Means. He showed off measured, aggressive striking, and he simply dominated his opponent. Means showed off a lot of variety in this bout. While stalking his opponent, Means attacking with nice boxing combinations, kicks up the middle, and pulverized his foe with nasty clinch work. One technique that Means used very well is controlling his opponent’s lead hand. Using his right, Means would grip Homasi’s left hand and simply wait for his foe’s overhand, which was Homasi’s only real weapon. After ducking the blow, Means’ own left hand would spear his opponent.
Following this win, Means should next face off with an opponent inside the top 15, like Tarec Saffiedine or Jake Ellenberger.
Homasi never had a huge chance to win this bout. He came in with a game plan of movement and kicks, which wasn’t a terrible choice, but he didn’t have the conditioning to fight that way consistently due to taking the bout on such short-notice. Beyond that, Homasi did an admirable job of trying to stay in the fight. Means was the sharper technician by quite a bit, and Homasi tired quickly. Despite that, Homasi did his best to hang in the pocket and throw combinations.
That takes some guts, even if it doesn’t work out.
At UFC 202, Tim Means battered his opponent to a second round finish. How high up the Welterweight ladder can "The Dirty Bird" fly?
For complete results from UFC 202: "McGregor vs. Diaz 2," including play-by-play updates, click here and here.