Out-spoken and embattled Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight, Mike Perry, came to Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Nov. 21, 2020) to fight Tim Means … not that stupid scale. And “Dirty Bird” was more than willing to oblige in UFC 255 pay-per-view (PPV) main card action, jabbing “Platinum” into a bloody mess en route to a unanimous decision win.
Perry came out the aggressor, with Means ducking under a big looping shot early. Means pumped the jab off his back foot until Perry trapped him along the fence and tossed him to the ground with a body lock slam. Perry worked from the top position, then angled behind Mean’s and began to threaten with a rear-naked choke. Perry locked in a body triangle then cranked his jaw at the bottom of the fence. It looked like Means was in real trouble, but he was somehow able to get belly-to-belly and slip out, returning to the center of the cage with 90 seconds remaining in the opening round. Means scored with a strong knee to Perry’s gut, which “Platinum” countered with a ripping shot to the ribs of his own. Means boxed him up along the fence with some crisp combinations and jabs until the horn blared to close out the first five minutes.
Means looked to mix it up to start the second stanza, firing off the jab repeatedly and Perry tried to score another takedown. He gave up on it quickly and the pair returned to the center of the Octagon, where Means used his length advantage to keep Perry at bay. Perry came rushing in for another takedown, but Means made him pay with a short uppercut. Means continued to find a home for his jab, but then finally Perry landed a hard shot upstairs that wobbled “Dirty Bird.” But rather than follow up with more strikes, he opted for a takedown that didn’t materialize. Means shook off the cobwebs and landed a hard standing elbow to Perry’s face, then continued with the jab. Perry continued to hunt for the one hitter quitter but the round eventually wound down.
Perry’s face looked like ground beef between rounds, while Means looked spotless. Perry came out for the third and final round looking for a takedown early, but Means bucked and kicked his way free from the fence after a brief struggle. Means landed a nice right hand on the break and then boxed up Perry along the fence until they returned to the center of the cage. Means’ jab continued to pay dividends, mixing in some low kicks to keep Perry off balance. Midway through the round and it suddenly became rock ‘em, sock ‘em robots with both fighters unloading on each other. Perry finally closed the distance and mushed him up against the fence to slow down the action. Along the fence Means continued to paint Perry’s face red with blood, backing him up along the cage repeatedly. Perry circled out and returned the center of the Octagon where he started to unload heavy, heavy shots. But, Means was more than game, standing his ground and returning fire. Perry tried to steal the round with a late surge, but in the end, Means’ technical striking and volume was the difference maker.
Not really sure where Perry goes from here — he has now dropped three of his last four fights inside the Octagon. Missing weight and his myriad personal issues outside the cage certainly don’t help his cause. Means, meanwhile, continues to be a very tough out.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 255 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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