The MMA Daily

We have a “Fight of the Night” contender in the Welterweight division, as Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means takes on Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland. Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Means comes into this bout with an opportunity to pick up a pivotal win. One in which could elevate him into the division’s top fifteen. Meanwhile, Holland will look to make it two straight since dropping down to Welterweight. With an evolving skillset, that is geared on honing in on his wrestling deficiency, it should be interesting to see how the talented Trailblazer progresses at 170 pounds.

This is an excellent fight and one that I could see being a back-and-forth war. Means is an active and technical striker, who uses his distance and length exceptionally well. Not one to discriminate with strikes, Means isn’t afraid to close the distance and land elbows. With good cardio and sneaky wrestling, Means can overwhelm opponents that don’t come correct. The only concerns with Means, are father time and durability. The same can’t be said about Holland, who is still 29 years old and has only been submitted twice in thirty fights. A striker, who too fights long, Holland is accurate and carries some legitimate power. While his defensive wrestling has always led him astray, between working on his wrestling and being down a weight a weight class, Holland shouldn’t be one to be held down for the majority of the fight anymore.

As for a prediction, I’m going with Holland. While I think Means is the better and more calculated striker, I think his durability concerns could come into play here. Holland, who notably has an iron chin, is willing to walk through the fire to land something impactful. Something that I really don’t believe Means can’t afford to do. The interesting aspect in the fight that could turn the tide towards Means, is if he looks to wrestle. Obviously I’ve mentioned that Holland should be better in the defensive wrestling department, but it remains to be seen how much better. Perhaps Means test that. Regardless, I believe Holland will overcome any adversity, and come out on top via TKO.