UFC welterweight Tim Means says he will need surgery for a broken ankle and tibia suffered in his first-round KO loss to Niko Price on Saturday in Wichita, Kansas.
“I do my best to leave it all in the ring everytime out so the fans can get what they paid for,” Means wrote on Instagram. “Wasn’t my night. I have to get surgery (for a) broken tibia and ankle. Niko caught me with a punch and my foot got stuck under me. Much respect to (Niko). See y’all down the road. Thank you to everyone for the kind words.”
Means (28-11-1) looked like he was going to knock out Price (13-2-1) in the first round, consistently landing hard punches to his opponent’s face. But with 10 seconds remaining in the round, Price landed a right hook that dropped Means and followed with hard hammerfists that forced the referee to end it early. Means appeared to hurt his ankle while falling from the punch.
The Oklahoma native has lost three of his past four fights. Price, by contrast, has won three of his past four.