UFC 207 Adds Brown-Saffiedine and Means-Oliveira
UFC 207 has added two exciting welterweight battles: Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine, and Tim Means vs. Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira.
MMA Trolla was actually the first to report the Brown fight (believe it or not), and the Albuquerque Journal reported the match between Means and Oliveira at UFC 207.
Both Matt Brown and Tarec Saffiedine have gone through recent struggles and will look to re-enter the win column on December 30.
Matt Brown built a reputation as simply a tough guy with a 5-5 start to his Octagon career, then it all came together. “The Immortal” strung together seven victories in a row with wins over Stephen Thompson, Jordan Mein, and Erick Silva.
All of a sudden, Brown found himself at the top of the welterweight division with the likes of Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, and Robbie Lawler. Unfortunately, Matt Brown has gone 1-4 since his incredible run with the only victory coming against Tim Means. Losses against Lawler, Hendricks, Demian Maia, and most recently (and most surprisingly) Jake Ellenberger have sent Brown outside the top-10.
Tarec Saffiedine is a Belgian kickboxer that dominated Strikeforce, going 7-1 from 2010 to 2013. The only loss came to current UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, and he ended his run by winning the promotion’s welterweight title. Saffiedine never had the chance to defend the belt since Strikeforce was subsequently absorbed by the UFC.
Since entering the Octagon, Saffiedine is 2-2, alternating wins and losses. His promotional debut was a wild battle in a main event against Hyun-Gyu Lim in which the Belgian was awarded both “Fight of the Night” and a five-round decision victory.
Since the 2014 victory, a win over Jake Ellenberger has been sandwiched between losses to Rory MacDonald and Rick Story. Saffiedine has been plagued by injuries since joining the UFC, pulling out of three scheduled bouts, including one against current foe Matt Brown.
In the second announced bout, Alex Oliveira will return to his correct welterweight division against the always-dangerous Tim Means.
“Cowboy” Oliveira lost many fans in his recent bout, failing to make the lightweight limit by an astounding five pounds for his match against Will Brooks earlier this month. The Brazilian did not stop there. After finishing the injured Brooks in the final round, Oliveira made obscene gestures including a crotch chop towards his fallen opponent.
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Oliveira is 5-2 in the Octagon, 4-1 at welterweight. He is currently on a two-fight win streak since replacing Tim Means and losing to Donald Cerrone in February.
Tim Means’ pace on the feet is tough to match, utilizing sharp knees and elbows in the clinch to overwhelm opponents. Most recently, newcomer Sabah Homasi succumbed to Means’ pressure, losing via TKO in the second round in their August contest. Means is 8-4 in his Octagon career with five stoppages and is currently on his second stint with the promotion.
UFC 207 will take place on December 30 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining the card is the highly-anticipated return of former champion Ronda Rousey, as she battles Amanda Nunes for the belt. Also on the card, Cain Velasquez will look to even things up with Fabricio Werdum at sea-level.
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