Round One:
Early kick for Means and then a few punches behind it. Nice left hand from Means to the head. Now a nice right hand for Muhammad as he steps into range.
Another couple of punches for Muhammad and a kick in return from Mean. Both men showing a willingness to stand and trade here, with Means generally taking the center of the Octagon so far.
left hand for Means puts Muhammad on his heels. Right hand for Muhammad now. Push kick to the body from Means. Good left hook to the head from Muhammad.
Leg kick for Muhammad as Means continues to press forward. Straight right for Muhammad connects. Punches and a kick from Means. Muhammad lands and that got Means attention. Muhammad again connects with a couple of left hooks. He’s finding a home for his punches against the bigger man.
30 seconds to go and Muhhamad ducks in for a takedown attempt, but Means stops that. Muhammad crisp with a few punches while darting in and out near he end of the round.
Round Two:Round Three:
Body punch for Means. A flicking kick upstairs partially lands for him. Exchange of punches at close range. Head movement now to avoid a few strikes from Muhammad.
Hard leg kick for Means sends Muhammad twirling off-balance. Another body strike for him. Head kick is blocked. Muhammad punches coming up a bit short and then he gets caught with an eye poke. He doesn’t need much time to recover though.
Muhammad back finding his range again. Means tries for a takedown that doesn’t pay off. Jab for Means. Good right-left combo for Muhammad.
Means working the head kick attempts more in this round, but so far Muhammad has been ready for them with the block. Left for Means, right for Muhammad.
Muhammad tries for a single-leg, but it’s stuffed. Means with a push kick. Nice two-piece combo for Muhammed. Jumping spinning kick from Means doesn’t land. Muhammad with a right hand, slips and then back to the right.
Push kick again for Means as Muhammad tries to push the action more in these closing few minutes. He’s having some success doing so and lands a few more punches before the end of the round.
Decision:
That’s a tough fight to call and the judges are split on their verdict, but it’s Muhammad who gets the nod from two of them to emerge with the victory (29-28 x2, 28-29).
