Tim Means welcomes Kevin Holland’s trash talk during their fight.
Means (32-12-1 MMA, 14-9 UFC) faces Holland (22-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 37, which takes place June 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Holland announced the fight in unique fashion, creating a fun video where he’s choking out a Big Bird mascot, a reference to Means’ nickname “The Dirty Bird.”
Means found the video funny, but it’s not the first time he’ll fight someone who chirps a lot. He recalls Bobby Green coming out in a chicken suit when the pair fought in 2010 under the King of the Cage banner, a fight he won by TKO.
“It’s a banger,” Means told MMA Junkie Radio. “Fans are really gonna like the scrap between us. Immediate thought is he’s gonna be jawing a lot. I saw him come out in the chicken suit, choking Big Bird or whatever. We had another fighter (Green) come out in a chicken suit in his hometown, so a lot of talking from that other individual, too, so it’s nothing new, but it does make for an exciting fight.”
Stylistically, Means expects the fight to deliver and thinks if he can get Holland to run his mouth, it’ll only show that he’s in control.
“I’m excited for the fight against Holland,” Means said. “I like the fight when I don’t have to go and find the guy, they’re gonna meet me in the middle and try to tear my head off. It’s a guy we have right here, and he’s gonna be trying to run his mouth doing it. In the times I’ve seen him running his mouth deep in these fights, he’s been way behind on the scorecards.
“So the more I can get him to talking, the better this fight is gonna go for me and my coaches and my corner. So we have to get him chirping and get him yapping. That’s gonna sell the fight No. 1. No. 2 he’s gonna know he’s getting out of his comfort because he likes to talk to stay comfortable, so when he’s losing, he’s trying to talk more so we need to get him yapping right away.”
Tim Means: More of Kevin Holland’s yapping at UFC on ESPN 37 a good sign for me
