Matt Brown vs Tim Means fight announced for stacked UFC 189 cardquote:
Matt Brown is still on track to compete at UFC 189 even though his original dance partner, Nate Diaz, stood him up earlier this month because he felt he was "being forced" into the Welterweight showdown.
Instead, "Immortal" will battle Tim Means inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11, 2015, according to a report on FOX Sports 1's "America's Pregame" earlier this evening.
Brown has hit a rough career stretch, losing a No. 1 contender eliminator match to current division champion, Robbie Lawler, and then dropping another decision to the man "Ruthless" defeated to win the crown, Johny Hendricks, his next time out.
Nonetheless, Brown still believes he can be a champion, a path now blocked by "Dirty Bird."
Means has quietly amassed a four-fight win streak in the 170-pound division and lost just once (Neil Magny) since returning to the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) league in May 2014. It's fair to say, however, that Brown is an enormous step up in competition when compared to a strength of schedule that features Hernani Perpetuo, Marcio Alexandre, Dhiego Lima and, most recently, George Sullivan.
Indeed, a win over the No. 5-ranked Welterweight in the world would be a coup for the un-ranked Means.
The stacked UFC 189 championship doubleheader features reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo battling division No. 1 contender Conor McGregor, while the aforementioned Lawler puts his welterweight title on the line against aforementioned 170-pound wunderkind, MacDonald.