Tim Means dedicates UFC on ESPN+ 25 fight to New Mexico teens killed in car crash
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Tim Means enters UFC on ESPN+ 25 with a heavy heart.
In preparation for Saturday’s fight, Means (29-11-1 MMA, 11-8 UFC) was affected by the deaths of two teenage boys from his community in January. According to Means, he knew both boys personally and is dedicating the upcoming fight to them, their memory, and the rest of his Moriarty, N.M. community.
Per the Albuquerque Journal, Mateo and Pete Sandoval were driving to school when they were killed after their car collided with a pickup truck. Mateo was 14; Pete was 16.
“I’m not going to dedicate this just because the boys passed away,” Means said when speaking to MMA Junkie and other media Thursday. “I’m going to dedicate it to their work ethic and their character. These were two young men that would see a student in a hallway and not even know that student. They’d walk up and put their arms around them, ‘Hey, man, life’s going to get better. Keep your head up.’ It spoke volumes about their passion, their dedication, (and) their work ethic.
“Knowing the boys for the time I got to know them and the way their mom and dad were (and) the values they instilled in those young men, if I could take just a piece of that formula and instill that in my children, my children will go a long ways. This is a dedication, not to remember them when they were living, but just their work ethic and everything that they did for themselves and the community – their saying of ‘Get better today’ is living on.”
Entering the fight against promotional debutant Daniel Rodriguez (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), Means is channeling a number of emotions – excitement and aggression among them. Given the circumstances, Means called UFC on ESPN+ 25 “the most important fight” of his life.
“Right now is the most excited and pumped up I’ve been for a fight,” he said. “There’s some real aggression riding on it. It has nothing to do with Daniel or anything like that. It’s just some personal life things. (I’m) calm, cool, and collected. You can’t fight mad, but you can fight very mean. We’re going to go that route.”
In a recent interview with Combat Press, Means said the boys’ family will be cageside for the event.
#sandovalstrongUFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The event streams on ESPN+.
Tim Means dedicates UFC on ESPN+ 25 fight to New Mexico teens killed in car crash