Preview: UFC Fight Night 213 ‘Kattar vs. Allen’

Welterweights

Max Griffin (18-9, 6-7 UFC) vs. Tim Means (32-13-1, 14-10 UFC)

ODDS: Griffin (-180), Means (+155)

These two welterweight veterans should combine for some entertaining violence to go along with the high stakes for each man. Griffin’s UFC success was far from a guarantee. He was on the older side for a prospect upon his 2016 UFC debut and read as a standout athlete whose well-roundedness came at the expense of having one reliably sharp skill. In terms of results, that led to a fairly unsuccessful start to Griffin’s UFC career. His 2018 win over Mike Perry was the most notable of the stretch, but there were multiple times where it felt like Griffin saved his spot on the roster with a victory. Even as Griffin lost about twice as much as he won, he clearly improved over time—to the point where he went from overmatched to just frustratingly unlucky. Even in times when everything seemed to be clicking for Griffin, he found himself on the losing end of some narrow split decisions. That all changed with his 2020 win over Ramiz Brahimaj, the first of a few performances that saw Griffin fight with some newfound aggression and power. Stoppages over Brahimaj and Kenan Song gave way to the biggest win of Griffin’s career: a 2021 victory over Carlos Condit. Griffin can still be an uncomfortable fighter at times who can flag a bit by the third round, but he has done a better job fighting through those issues than ever before, both in terms of bringing power to his offense and simply keeping up the pace until the final horn. Even though he lost a split decision to Neil Magny in March, it is a testament to Griffin’s progress that he has gone from hovering above the cut line to a clear Top 20 or so welterweight in the UFC. He gets a big chance to rebound here against Means.

Means’ first UFC run was a bit forgettable—his most impressive achievement was somehow cutting his 6-foot-2 frame down to lightweight—but “The Dirty Bird” has been a stalwart of the welterweight division since his 2014 return. Means is quite technically skilled despite his deserved reputation as a brawler. All else being equal, Means is at his most comfortable making his fights absolutely grimy, often taking his opponents into the clinch and unleashing some of his notoriously brutal elbows. Despite being so well-regarded for nearly a decade, Means never got over the hump to contender status—in part due to some questionable decision losses—and the worry was that, after knockout losses to Niko Price in 2019 and Daniel Rodriguez in 2020, he was being betrayed by his body ahead of a rough ending for his career. However, he has rebounded in solid fashion, racking up three clear wins before dropping a June fight to Kevin Holland. Means still has not recovered the near-indestructible status of his youth, but he is able to do a solid job of falling back on his skills when hurt, relying on his wrestling to go along with that clinch work. That makes this a fun pairing. Means has never been defensively minded, so Griffin should find some big moments of offense. However, if he is unable to put Means out, the New Mexico native should be able to find a groove and make Griffin less comfortable over time. The bet is that Griffin can make his successes obvious enough to ride out a win on the scorecards, but this is essentially a coinflip. The pick is Griffin via decision.

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