Another fight weekend is in the books. Saturday’s UFC show saw the arrival of a new top-tier heavyweight contender in Ciryl Gane, who once again passed a massive test by outclassing Alexander Volkov in the main event. We also had main-event heavyweight action in Bellator, as Valentin Moldavsky matador’d Tim Johnson for 25 minutes to grab that organization’s interim belt.
I’ll have more on the strange landscape of the UFC heavyweight division and what Gane’s arrival means this week. But for now, here’s a look at three fighters outside the main event who boosted their stock this week:
One of the can’t miss images of Saturday’s UFC show actually came before a single punch had been thrown. Take a look at this shit right here:
On the right is Michel Prazeres, 5-foot-5, maybe 5-foot-6, with a reach of about 67 inches. On the left is Shavkat Rakhmonov, 6-foot-1, with a reach of about 77 inches. It may shock you to learn that these two guys are actually in the same weight class: welterweight. It may not shock you to learn that the guy absolutely towering over his opponent won by second-round stoppage.
And despite the fact that Prazeres entered with a 10-3 UFC record, and Rakhmonov was only entering his second UFC fight, Rakhmonov was one of the biggest favorites on the card. I mean, sure, just look at these guys. But it’s also because the 26-year-old from Kazakhstan is one of the best young welterweight prospects in the world, and he’s finally entering the spotlight.
It seems like the UFC knows what it has with Rakhmonov. He signed with the UFC last year and immediately the promotion was trying to book him with established names – he had fights set up with Bartosz Fabinski, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Ramazan Emeev that fell apart for various reasons – before settling on an October bout with Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira. A longtime mainstay of the UFC welterweight division, Oliveira has main-evented in the Octagon before and has been one of the division’s most fun talents. He’s one hell of an ask for a fighter making their debut. Rakhmonov guillotine choked him in the first round.
Then there’s Prazeres, himself an interesting story. From 2015-18 the short, thick grappling ace won eight UFC fights in a row, mostly at lightweight, with his most notable victory being a unanimous decision over recent welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns. But Prazeres shot himself in the foot multiple times by missing weight, finally moved up to welterweight in 2018, and after two wins at 170 had his streak snapped in 2019 by Ismail Naurdiev. Shortly afterward, he was banned for two years for failing a steroid test. (Looking at his physique, that’s not a surprise.)
But Prazeres has a very high level of past success in the Octagon, and much more experience than Rakhmonov, even despite the comical size disadvantage. Once again, Rakhmonov took care of business. It was clear that Rakhmonov was much stronger in the clinch and on the ground, and he successfully kept Prazeres at bay with his jab on the feet. (With that reach advantage, if he didn’t do that, there’s a problem.) It just felt from the beginning that the veteran had little chance. The finish came midway through the second, when Rakhmonov caught Prazeres coming in with a big knee, defended a takedown, bashed Prazeres with ground-and-pound and then smoothly slipped to the back and locked on a choke.
It was an effortlessly impressive performance from Rakhmonov, who moved his record to 14-0 with 14 finishes – it doesn’t get any better than that! Rakhmonov is a combination of freakish physical proportions – even when he’s not fighting a guy half his size, he still has a fantastic frame for 170 – and impressive skills, especially in the grappling game.
The UFC knows that. That’s why they’ve thrown him into the deep end with two very dangerous veterans, and watched him pass the tests with flying colors. Shavkat Rakhmonov is going to be fighting ranked opponents very, very soon, and a new welterweight star might be here.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been almost 10 years. Can we finally start appreciating Tim Means?
At no point in his UFC career has Means ever been a fighter you think about. He has no memorable wins, few cool highlights, little glory, and even less awareness from the fanbase. Every time Means steps into the cage, the reaction from significant parts of the fanbase is: “That guy is still around?” He is, at 37 years old, over nine years since he started toiling in the UFC undercard, and 17 years since he made his pro debut.
Tim Means made his first appearance in the Octagon in Feb. 2012, and it honestly feels like longer. And while he’ll probably never crack the rankings at welterweight – he just doesn’t have that kind of next-level athleticism or talent – next time he’s in the cage, pay attention to him. This is a damn good mixed martial artist, playing out his career in front of our eyes with a consistent competence that has gone unnoticed.
Means beat Danish karateka Nicolas Dalby by unanimous decision on Saturday night for his third straight win in the Octagon, running his career UFC record to 16-9. Along the way, Means became the 50th UFC fighter to pass four total hours of UFC fight time – few fighters on the list are likely to be as anonymous as Means. But goddamn, I was just so impressed with how Means went about his business. Saturday night was the night I finally appreciated Tim Means.
With his bouncy, in-and-out style and flashy kicks, Dalby was the more dynamic and athletic of the two on Saturday night. If you saw Dalby and Means hitting pads in the gym, you’d probably pick Dalby. But when the lights are on, Means knows how to get it done. Means got the better of the striking exchanges throughout the first two rounds, cracking Dalby with a few great head kicks, dropping him with a one-two at the end of the first round, timing him with leg kicks that caught him off balance. He did excellent work attacking the body, throwing elbows in the clinch, and moving in with a closing speed that’s surprising for a fighter that isn’t a great athlete.
And when Dalby, down two rounds, came out in the third more aggressive and hurt Means with a crispy right hand, Means did an expert job clinching up and just completely shutting the fight down, doing everything he needed to do to secure the win. Result; 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, Tim Means.
There is nothing flashy about Tim Means. He’s just a meat-and-potatoes, gritty mixed martial artist who knows how to succeed in his craft. Where he lacks in athleticism and raw talent, he more than makes up for in smarts, patience and timing. He’s a joy to watch, if you know to watch him. And I have a feeling he’s got plenty of wins left in him.
Speaking of another fighter we should start appreciating: how about Liz Carmouche? Carmouche has been near the top of the rankings for a decade. She’s challenged for three world titles. Her career record is a who’s who of all-time greats. But on Saturday, Carmouche did something that she had never done in her 11-year pro career: finish a fighter inside of one minute.
That’s Carmouche knocking out the previously undefeated Kana Watanabe in just 35 seconds on Saturday night, a sight I never thought I’d see. Carmouche had only two first round finishes in her career before last weekend, and none since April 2012 – a 1:58 TKO of Ashleigh Curry, career pro record 1-3, in Invicta’s first-ever event. Historically, Carmouche has gotten her business done in much the same way as Means: by being a gritty, smart veteran, although she’s more likely to get her work done in the clinch.
We’ve seen this from Carmouche for years and years, whether it was in Strikeforce, the UFC, or now in Bellator. There are fighters much more athletic and much more talented, but she knows how to win. So watching her just suddenly swarm on Watanabe – who, to be fair, is a fantastic judoka who has displayed few other actual MMA skills – was kind of insane. I thought we knew who Liz Carmouche was at this point. She’s just not the kind of fighter who knocks opponents out in 35 seconds.
But on Saturday, she saw the opportunity to be that fighter, and she was that fighter. And at 37 years old – she and Means were actually born just one day apart – she may have another title challenge in her future. Carmouche has been one of the more successful female fighters in the sport over the last decade, but she’s always been the bridesmaid. Her first world title shot came in 2011, when women’s MMA pioneer Marloes Coenen finished her by fourth-round triangle choke to retain the Strikeforce bantamweight title. She later challenged Ronda Rousey for the UFC bantamweight title, only to eat Rousey’s signature first-round armbar. Her final UFC fight was also for a world title: against Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight belt in 2019, a 50-45 decision loss.
Carmouche debuted in Bellator last year, and has had little trouble in three straight wins. She’s made herself a compelling title challenger in a flyweight division that may sneakily be better than the UFC, at least at the top level: undefeated champion Juliana Velasquez is one of the world’s best, and previous champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane isn’t far removed from being hyped at a huge level.
Then there’s Carmouche, whose presence is a credit to any division she’s in. Velasquez defends her belt against the hard-hitting Denise Kielholtz – another fighter I really, really like – in a few weeks. Macfarlane, coming off losing her belt in her first career defeat, could use a dance partner. Carmouche-Macfarlane, winner gets the next shot at the champ? Sounds good to me.
The Big Fight 