UFC Vegas 91: Uros Medic vs. Tim Means Prediction, Pick and Odds
By Jaren Kawada
In what may be the final fight of his career, Tim Means will return to the UFC APEX and meet accomplished striker Uros Medic on the main card of UFC Vegas 91.
Medic (9-2, 3-2 in UFC) made the move to welterweight at UFC 291 in style, knocking out Matthew Semelsberger in the final round. However, in his most recent outing, Medic was dominated and submitted by short-notice replacement Myktybek Orolbai at UFC Vegas 82.
Means (33-15-1 with one no-contest, 15-12 with one no-contest in UFC) has been with the UFC since 2012, barring a two-fight stint with Legacy FC from 2013-2014. Having spent the bulk of his career as an exciting journeyman, Means ended a three-fight losing streak at UFC Vegas 79 with a knockout of Andre Fialho in the event's Fight of the Night.
Since opening as a modest favorite, money has come in on Medic and swelled the Serbian to over 3-1.
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Uros Medic vs. Tim Means odds and round total
Uros Medic vs. Tim Means best bet
It is never a bright idea to count Means out of a fight but as a 40-year-old who has been open about the idea of retirement, this is a tough matchup to give him.
Means is no liability on the feet in any way but if he allows this fight to be dictated by striking, Medic will have his way. Of his nine career wins, Medic has won seven by knockout (78 percent) and has out-landed all but one opponent thus far in the UFC.
Medic has only been in the UFC since 2021 but has already recorded elite striking numbers. In six UFC fights, Medic has put up six knockdowns while landing 5.64 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent clip. Defensively, Medic has also been sound, allowing just over three significant strikes per minute while avoiding 58 percent of strikes thrown at him.
As a high school wrestling coach, Means' game plan against Medic will be crystal clear. Yet, particularly as he ages, Means' success with his wrestling has not been very high, completing just 42 percent of his takedown attempts in the UFC. Means' takedowns have primarily been through the clinch, an area that Medic is adept at avoiding.
Medic's takedown defense does not appear much better at just 46 percent, but that number is largely skewed by his last fight when he was thoroughly rag-dolled by Myktybek Orolbai to the tune of seven takedowns. Before that fight, Medic had allowed just one takedown in the Octagon to Jalin Turner.
Against a striker like Medic, Means has lately tended to falter. Although he has been knocked down just twice since 2020, Means has been hurt badly on several other occasions against strikers less precise than Medic. His durability may be fading and before beating Andre Fialho — who has been knocked out in four straight fights — Means had lost three straight.
Prediction: Medic by knockout in round three