Tim Means (photo via zanda.com)

By Kelsey Mowatt

Anyone who has followed the career of Tim Means knows that much of the welterweight’s success has come as a result of his striking, but at UFC on FOX 11, he showcased a different side to his game. While the vet’s three round bout with Hernani Perpetuo was predominantly a stand-up affair, Means presented another weapon in his arsenal.

“Coach Jon Judy and myself have been working on the wrestling; I just kind of shy away from it with just only wanting to stand on my feet,” Means said on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio. “You get that first knockout of somebody and you’re like ‘yeah’, and on my record, I’ve stopped a lot of guys with strikes, so it feels really good. Bragging rights are a lot better when you get a guy out of there with striking combinations.”

“But getting back to the wrestling, wrestling footwork is the same as your kickboxing and boxing footwork, you’re just a little bit lower, and a little bit different of a stance, but the overall steps are the same,” furthered Means. “Adding a takedown or two in, I’m not sure if Hernani expected it, if it threw his game off a bit, but he definitely slowed down in that second round after I shot a couple of takedowns in the first.”

While it’s hard to say what kind of impact Means’ wrestling had on the outcome of the bout, the American went on to outstrike the rugged Brazilian and earn a unanimous decision win.

Means

“It was kind of crazy; on the first takedown I just kind of blinked and we were on the ground,” said Means. “I had the set-up in my head and I forgot to hold on to him and keep him down. I was like ‘oh man, we hit the ground”…A couple of the takedowns I shot were kind of lazy, so I expect Jon Judy to make me run some extra sprints for that effort.”

“We only worked double legs for most of this camp just to get the one takedown,” furthered Means, while discussing the work he’s been putting in for his wrestling. “From the double leg comes the single leg, and everything just chains together, and it’s really been helping. I’ve just been really open minded with it and it’s starting to help me with my overall game.”

Another storyline that emerged from the fight was an arm injury Perpetuo incurred earlier in the bout. UFC President Dana White tweeted after the scrap that the Nova Uniao welterweight broke his elbow in round two.

“I saw that I hurt his arm; I thought I hurt his arm in the second round with a front kick. I thought it was a high kick but it turns out it was a front kick,” said Means, who has gone 3-3 in the UFC to date. “I felt his arm click but I wasn’t sure if it was from my foot slapping, or what it was. I saw him from across the way, in between the second and third rounds, and he was pointing at it, but when he came out in the third round he really had a good poker face on. I really didn’t notice he was hurt until he told me after the fight that he had broken his arm.”

“Something had told me that he wasn’t throwing his left hand like he was, but I just thought he was trying to be sneaky and play possum, get me to run in,” the 30 year-old added. “He was tough as nails; I’ve been looking for a fight like that for a while, and my hat goes off to Hernani.”