LAS VEGAS – Tim Means beat Laureano Staropoli with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Means, who got back in the win column and has alternated victories and defeats over his past six bouts.
Result: Tim Means def. Laureano Staropoli via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Means (30-12-1 MMA, 12-9 UFC), Staropoli (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
Key stat: Means outstruck Staropoli 126-81 and landed a pair of takedowns.
Means on the fight’s key moment
“We saw everything in practice. Some of those spinning attacks were a little bit quicker, so I kind of waited out the first round, waited for the second round, let him get dog-tired, kept mixing the body locks, the takedowns. (I) started trying to wear him down. I could hear him slowly breathing. We were working on head kicks. I think I dropped him with a head kick in the second round. I wanted to jump on him a little bit quicker, but it just shows the durability of guys in this weight class and in the UFC. And this guy in particular – tough as nails. There is not an easy fight in this league.”
Means on his perseverance as a fighter
“I can look myself in the mirror and tell myself the truth right out of the gate: I’m not a quitter. I might do some stupid things along the way and own what I do wrong – earn my reputation, earn my way. But I don’t quit. And that’s what we were stating out there today: We don’t quit.”
Means on what he wants next
“I have some cheesecake waiting for me back at the hotel now. I’m going to throw down on that, talk to the coaches and I imagine I’ll get a call soon. I also have to get back and talk to the doctor about the hardware I have in my ankle from when I broke my leg last year – get some screws removed, and on to the next fight.”
To hear more from Means, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Tim Means starting with the man in the mirror and liking Saturday's result
