Welterweights
Tim Means (25-7-1) vs. Sabah Homasi (11-5)Homasi is not an untechnical striker. Like Means, he does good work in the clinch, framing and creating gaps that he dutifully fills with elbows and knees. He is also dangerous from range, using small steps to land powerful counters and chipping away with kicks when his opponent refuses to engage.
That should not be a problem with Means, who regularly attempts about 15 strikes per minute. Means is really coming into his own as a fighter now; after a brief first stint in 2004-05, “The Dirty Bird” has fought steadily for seven years, never fighting less than three times per year. With a long frame, Means is expectedly dangerous from long range, but it was in the pocket that he destroyed John Howard in December, and his clinch is ferocious.
Homasi usually only pursues the ground game when he has an opponent hurt. Means is more or less in the same boat, but he does have four submissions to his name. Means will often bring his opponent to the ground in a clinch scramble, and he may look to do so against Homasi as a convenient way to sap the puncher’s energy.
THE ODDS: Means (-415), Homasi (+335)
THE PICK: This one likely comes down to experience and preparation. Homasi took this fight on just two weeks’ notice. Even with full camps, he is always susceptible to the finish. Means, on the other hand, has never been properly knocked out, and he has the experience necessary to work his rangy game until Homasi tires. The pick is Means by second-round TKO.
Last Fights » The Prelims