Former KOTC Junior-Welterweight champion, Tim Means is now all set to return to the octagon for his 44th MMA fight, as per a report on MMA Fighting. The fight will take place on the UFC card on August 8th. The event, per multiple reports, is supposed to be headlined by former heavyweight title challenger, Derrick Lewis taking on Aleksei Oleinik.
Tim Means will enter the fight having gone 2-2 in his last four. A decorated MMA veteran, Tim Means has been an active MMA fighter since 2004 and in his career has secured big fights over the likes of Jorge Masvidal amongst others. In his last fight, Tim Means lost via submission to Daniel Rodriguez. Means hence enters the fight on a very low note in this fight.
Tim Means will be taking on a rather younger and lesser experienced, Laureano Staropoli in his this clash. Laureano Staropoli like Tim Means will enter the clash on a rather low note having lost a decision to Muslim Salikhov in his last fight. Apart from that Staropoli has had a rather interesting run in the UFC. Having entered the UFC 5-fight win streak, Staropoli managed to carry the momentum with a lot of grace and even secured two consecutive wins in the company before losing against Salikhov,
Must win situation for both Tim Means and Laureano Staropoli
The fight comes at an important point for both the fighters. They both need to reestablish themselves as contenders capable of taking on the very best. This is even more necessary for Tim Means. Going irrelevant in the UFC can result in a fighter being axed. It is a bit difficult for someone with a career as elaborate as Tim Means to look at irrelevance but consecutive losses to lesser experienced contenders can result in massive damage to resume.
Staropoli is a younger fighter who hopes to climb the ladder and reach the top. A loss to an older fighter who is coming off a disappointing performance can make the climb more difficult. Should be an interesting clash.