These days, things are good for Means and his family. He still approaches every UFC fight like his job is on the line, but given his track record, job security is likely not the case, especially with him getting a prime spot on a pay-per-view main card. And despite winning two of his last three, there are still reminders that he’s not living in a fantasy land where the sun shines every day.
In mid-January, 16-year-old Pedro (Pete) and 14-year-old Mateo Sandoval were killed in a tragic car accident. Means coached the brothers in football and was devastated by the loss. He also had a fight on February 15 to prepare for, first against Ramazan Emeev and then against late replacement Daniel Rodriguez.
“That was the hardest fight I’ve ever prepared for in my life and it absolutely showed in the Octagon on fight night,” he said. “I was fighting angry and upset against a young, hungry killer that took a fight on short notice for me. It was a fight I probably should have pulled out of, but I was showing my community and the high school here that just because we didn’t get our way and just because it didn’t work out in our favor doesn’t mean we lose. We only lose if we stay down.”
Means lost that night to Rodriguez, but six months later, he was back in the Octagon, where he defeated Laureano Staropoli, putting him in position to face Perry this weekend. All this in the middle of one of the most tumultuous years in recent history. If there was any time for Means to fall back on bad habits, it would have been in the last several months. But he didn’t. There wasn’t a chance of that happening. There’s too much to live for and too many people in his community looking at him as an example of what can happen when you never give up.
RELATED: Louis Cosce Has A Ruthless Streak In Him
“I remember what it’s like to be rock bottom, and if I can do it and I can succeed, just in minor things such as being in fights on TV – that’s a minor thing compared to the hard things in life – but if I can achieve my own dreams, absolutely anybody can,” he said. “I’m always putting words in the kids’ ears around here – the teenagers and my daughters and my brother-in-law’s kids – we can do it, and as long as we have that desire to be opportunistic and have that ability to go after something, we’ll never be able to fail, no matter what we try to do.”
Tim Means is a heck of a fighter, one who paid his dues, got through the ups and downs and is still standing on the biggest stage in his sport. Whether he gets to the top of the sport and puts a championship belt around his waist isn’t really important at this point, given the impact he’s had on the people back home. Would he be satisfied if his legacy was as a role model and not a world champion?
