The awkward fall Tim Means took on his ankle in his knockout loss to Niko Price at UFC on ESPN+ 4 was unfortunately as bad as it looked.
As Means (28-11-1 MMA, 10-8 UFC) went down from a right hook from Price (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the opening round of their welterweight bout, he rolled his ankle in a gruesome fashion. Replays immediately indicated something had gone wrong, and the fighter has now confirmed the extent of the damage.
Means reported post-fight from the hospital that he suffered a broken ankle and tibia in his right leg that will require surgery (via Instagram):
I do my best to leave it all in the ring everytime out so the fans can get what they paid for. Wasn’t my night I have to get surgery broken tibula and ankle. Niko caught me with a punch and my foot got stuck under me. Much respect to @hybridufc . See y’all down the road. Thankyou to everyone for the kind words.
UFC on ESPN+ 4 took place at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. Means vs. Price was part of the main card, which streamed on ESPN+.
Means has earned a reputation as one of the UFC’s top action fighters during his 19-fight octagon tenure. The showdown with Price lived up to that, because both men exchanged blows with little regard for their own safety.
It seemed Means had Price in a bad spot just before the knockout, but when he came in his was caught with a fight-ending blow. The knockout was just a piece of the damage Means left the octagon with, though, because he’s likely facing extensive rehab to his leg after UFC on ESPN+ 4 (via Twitter):
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 4, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
