Tag: Tim Means

UFC on ESPN+ 32 pre-event facts: Derrick Lewis on verge of being KO king

The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 32, which features a Derrick Lewis vs. Aleksei Oleinik main event.

The UFC’s busy August stretch continues on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 32, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

Two heavyweights with opposing styles are set to clash in the main event. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) brings his heavy hands back to the octagon for a clash with submission ace [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-13-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 32.

* * * *

Main event

Derrick Lewis

Lewis makes his 20th UFC heavyweight appearance since 2014, the most in the division and second most fights on the roster behind Donald Cerrone (24).

Lewis’ 14 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are fourth-most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (18), Frank Mir (16) and Junior Dos Santos (15).

Lewis’ 10 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Mir (13), Arlovski (11), Gabriel Gonzaga (11) and Stefan Struve (11).

Lewis’ 10 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez for most in divisional history.

Lewis’ 10 knockout victories in UFC competition since 2014 are second most among active fighters in the organization behind Thiago Santos (11).

Lewis’ six knockouts stemming from ground strikes in UFC competition are tied with Randy Couture for second most in company history behind Velasquez (eight).

Lewis is the only fighter in history to have his first eight UFC bouts end in a knockout.

Lewis’ knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 despite a -82 significant strike differential marked the greatest statistical striking comeback in UFC history.

Lewis and Francis Ngannou combined for 31 total strikes landed at UFC 226, the second fewest in a three-round UFC fight that went the distance behind Jens Pulver vs. Joao Roque (23) at UFC 26 in June 2000.

Aleksei Oleinik

Oleinik, 43, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC heavyweight division and is the oldest of all fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Oleinik was the first fighter in MMA history to earn victories in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s). Alistair Overeem also accomplished the feat.

Oleinik has earned 54 of his 59 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.

Oleinik has earned 46 of his 54 career stoppage victories by submission.

Oleinik’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (eight).

Oleinik has earned two of the three Ezekiel-choke submission victories in UFC history. He accomplished the feat at UFC 224 and UFC Fight Night 103. Remco Pardoel also won with the technique at UFC 2.

Oleinik attempts 2.21 submissions per 15 minutes of fighting in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

Co-main event

Omari Akhmedov

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) is 3-0-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-0-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.

Akhmedov’s five-fight UFC unbeaten streak at middleweight is tied with Paulo Costa for the second longest active streak in the division behind Israel Adesanya (eight).

Chris Weidman

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) returns to the middleweight division after an unsuccessful one-fight stint at light heavyweight in October 2019.

Weidman became the first male fighter in UFC history to win a championship with an undefeated record and go on to successfully defend the belt more than once when he defeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 175.

Weidman is 1-5 in his past six fights dating back to December 2015.

Weidman has out-struck his opponent in all 10 of his UFC victories.

Weidman has completed at least one takedown in all 15 of his UFC appearances.

Weidman’s 37 takedowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Thales Leites for most in divisional history.

Weidman has suffered all five of his career losses by knockout.

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Remaining card

Darren Stewart

[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is 4-3 since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in November 2017.

[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is 2-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]’s (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) 12 UFC lightweight victories since 2014 are the most in the division.

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (29-12-1 MMA, 11-9 UFC) is 9-7 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has landed at least one knockdown against four of his five UFC opponents.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC adds Tim Means vs. Laureano Staropoli to Aug. 8 event

A welterweight matchup between Tim Means and Laureano Staropoli is the latest addition to the UFC’s Aug. 8 lineup.

A welterweight banger is the latest addition to the UFC’s Aug. 8 event.

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag](29-12-1 MMA, 11-9 UFC) will face [autotag]Laureano Staropoli[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in an event expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Saturday, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Means has split his last four appearances. After scoring a first-round submission over Thiago Alves last December, Means suffered a second-round submission loss to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February.

After picking up wins over Hector Aldana and Thiago Alves in his first two UFC bouts, Staropoli saw his seven-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Muslim Salikhov last October in Singapore.

With the addition, the Aug. 8 lineup includes:

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Chris Weidman
  • Julia Avila vs. Nicco Montano
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Pavlovich
  • Andrew Sanchez vs. Wellington Turman
  • Miranda Granger vs. Nadia Kassem
  • Peter Barrett vs. Steve Garcia
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Alex Munoz
  • Tim Means vs. Laureano Staropoli

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Combat Rewind, May 14: ‘The Dirty Bird’

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

Combat Rewind – May 14

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.

UFC on ESPN+ 25 post-event facts: History made with multiple disqualifications

All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 25, which saw Jan Blachowicz knock out Corey Anderson in the main event.

The UFC returned to New Mexico on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 25. The 13-fight card took place at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho and streamed on ESPN+ 25.

The main event saw a potentially new top light heavyweight contender emerge to fight Jon Jones. Poland’s [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) extended his winning streak to three fights with a thunderous first-round knockout of [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), avenging a decision loss from September 2015.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 25.

* * * *

General

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UFC on ESPN+ 25 was the first event in UFC history to feature two disqualification results.

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $186,500.

Debuting fighters went 2-1 at the event.

Blachowicz, [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag], [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] and [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 25 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN+ 25 drew an announced attendance of 6,449 for a live gate of $596,820.

Betting favorites went 9-4 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 3-1 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:18:54.

Main card

Jan Blachowicz

Blachowicz improved to 7-1 in his past eight UFC appearances dating back to October 2017. The only defeat in that stretch came to Thiago Santos.

Blachowicz’s three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Jon Jones (four).

Anderson has suffered all four of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

[autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 19-12 UFC) improved to 3-2 since he returned to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017. He’s 12-6 at the weight under the UFC banner.

Sanchez’s 19 victories in UFC competition are seventh most in company history. Donald Cerrone holds the record with 23.

Sanchez has absorbed 1,362 total head strikes in his UFC career, the second-most in company history behind B.J. Penn (1,434).

[autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]’s (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Valentina Shevchenko (five).

[autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered both of her UFC losses by decision.

Ray Borg

[autotag]Ryan Borg[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has earned five of his seven UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Yancy Medeiros[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 0-2 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division in January 2019. He’s 3-6 (with one no contest) in the weight class overall.

Preliminary card

Daniel Rodriguez

Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (29-12-1 MMA, 11-9 UFC) fell to 9-7 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

[autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] (21-11 MMA, 10-6 UFC) improved to 4-4 since he returned to the UFC bantamweight division in April 2016. He’s 5-4 in the weight class overall.

Dodson has earned all six of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.

Miller’s (31-14 MMA, 20-13 UFC) total fight time of 5:21:47 in UFC lightweight competition is most in divisional history.

Miller’s 11 fight-night bonuses for UFC lightweight bouts are tied with Nate Diaz for third most in divisional history behind Cerrone (15) and Joe Lauzon (15).

[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past seven UFC appearances.

Clark has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Dequan Townsend[/autotag]’s (21-11 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March.

Townsend has suffered nine of his 11 career losses by decision.

Merab Dvalishvili

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has earned seven of his 10 career victories by decision. That includes all four of his UFC wins.

Dvalishvili’s 12 takedowns landed set a new single-fight record for a UFC/WEC bantamweight fight. He was previously tied with two other fighters with 11 in a fight.

Dvalishvili became the fourth in UFC history to have multiple fights with 10 or more takedowns landed. Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson and Colby Covington also accomplished the feat.

Dvalishvili has completed 39 total takedowns in his five UFC appearances.

[autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Mark De La Rosa[/autotag]’s (11-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2018.

De La Rosa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Emotional Tim Means pays tribute after hometown tragedy: ‘Love my people, love my state’

Albuquerque native Tim Means paid tribute to the two schoolboys killed in a traffic accident in his hometown following his fight at UFC on ESPN+ 25.

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Combat sport can be a cruel mistress, and for Albuquerque’s [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag], it proved to be a disappointing and emotional night as he fell to a submission loss at UFC on ESPN+ 25.

Means (29-12-1 MMA, 12-9 UFC) fought against the debuting Daniel Rodriguez with a heavy heart, as he attempted to produce a win in memory of Pete and Mateo Sandoval, two students Means knew well from his homtown, who tragically died in a recent car crash on their way to school.

But things did not go Means’ way on fight night as he was rocked, then submitted, by the impressive Rodriguez in the second round of their featured preliminary card fight at Santa Ana Star Center.

Despite his defeat, Means appeared backstage to talk to the media and praised his opponent while revealing an early-fight injury made life tougher than he had expected on fight night.

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“Hats off to Rodriquez and his team,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after his fight. “About a minute-and-a-half, second minute, I popped something in my knee, so we’re going to go and get that checked out. But, great fight on that guy’s part. I tried to tough it out (and) push through, and he hit me in the back of the head at the end of the first round. Again, I just wanted to fight or whatever. It just wasn’t my night. Hats off to those guys, they had a good night. I thought maybe it was just my knee that was hurt or whatever, but he caught me pretty good, so you can’t take it away from him.”

A big shot from Rodriguez left Means badly rocked at the end of the opening round, but “The Dirty Bird” recovered sufficiently on his stool to return to the fray in the second. But a confident Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) loaded up on his shots and hurt Means again. Then, with Means looking to close the distance, “D-Rod” locked up a standing guillotine that left the 35-year-old little option but to tap.

“It was his night,” he admitted. “(I’ll) settle back and fix some things we did wrong, but all in all, I got out here and fought my ass off and did the best I could with it, and that’s all I could ask out of myself.”

Clearly emotional, Means then explained how he had hoped to produce a winning performance to honor the memory of the two youngsters who tragically lost their lives in his hometown.

“Life goes on,” he said. “(I) didn’t get the win tonight, but I did the best I could to fight for them. Love my people, love my state. ‘Get better every day.’ It’s what Pete would say. So we win some, we lose some. We’ve just got to learn from this and move on. Pete and Mateo are great guys, great kids. I was proud to work with them.”

UFC on ESPN+ 25 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combine for $20k total

UFC on ESPN+ 25 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN+ 25 took place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 25 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Kazula Vargas[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Yancy Medeiros[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]John Dodson[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Dequan Townsend[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shanna Young[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mark De La Rosa[/autotag]: $5,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $577,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $31,581,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Rio Rancho with Bon Jovi vs. Loverboy showdown

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 event in Rio Rancho, N.M.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 25 went with as their backing tracks in Rio Rancho, N.M.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14

UFC on ESPN+ 25: Tim Means full post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 25: Tim Means full post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 25: Tim Means full post-fight interview

Tim Means dedicates UFC on ESPN+ 25 fight to New Mexico teens killed in car crash

High school students Mateo and Pete Sandoval were driving to school when their car collided with a pickup truck.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] 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.”

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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.

UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The event streams on ESPN+.

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