We may get some closure in the Tim Means-Alex Oliveira fiasco.
Combate has confirmed that Means and Oliveira will go toe-to-toe once again. They will throw down at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night event in Fortaleza, Brazil on March 6.
Their first encounter ended in controversy. When Oliveira’s knee was down, Means blasted his opponent with two knees to the head. That is illegal under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) even with the new revisions.
Somehow the UFC’s own Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner claimed the knee was legal during the broadcast. Referee Dan Miragliotta did not disqualify Means, because he said the knees were accidental. Later on, Means said he threw the knees purposely.
“Cowboy’s” manager said his fighter planned to appeal the result. MMAJunkie.com got word that the process of that appeal has begun.
Prior to their first encounter, Means finished two of his opponents in a row. “The Dirty Bird” rebounded from a submission loss to Matt Brown by knocking out John Howard back in Dec. 2015. He followed up that performance with a second-round TKO win over Sabah Homasi. Means had won six of his last seven bouts before meeting “Cowboy.”
Oliveira also won two straight before his UFC 207 scrap with Means. He earned a unanimous decision win over James Moontasri back in July 2016. Many would say his next victory was his biggest. Oliveira defeated former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks by TKO in the third round.
“Cowboy” was under heavy criticism for missing weight and taunting Brooks after the fight.
The main event of the UFC’s Fortaleza event will feature a middleweight scrap between a former UFC champion and a middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter. Vitor Belfort returns to his home country to battle Kelvin Gastelum. The co-main event showcases lightweights Edson Barboza and Beneil Dariush.
