UFC welterweight Alex Morono’s return to the win column Saturday had a deeper personal meaning beyond just getting his hand raised.
At UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., Morono (23-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) stepped into the octagon to face an opponent he’s watched for years in well-respected veteran Tim Means. There was no animosity in this matchup. For Morono, this was about proving to himself that he could get over the hurdle of facing a fighter who he has looked up to since the early days of his professional career.
“I got a lot of respect and admiration for Tim Means,” Morono said during a post-fight news conference (via FanSided). “For those that don’t know, I watched him fight live in Houston about 10 years ago. So, I was maybe 21, 22 years old, like maybe 1-0, 2-0 pro. I watched him take out Houston’s No. 1 prospect, a guy I had trained with, and the guy gave me a lot of trouble – and Tim finished him, and got resigned to the UFC. So, I always not only thought highly of him, but I was always like a little – I don’t want to say intimidated, but like, if I had to fight him, I wouldn’t have been thrilled about it.
“Sure enough, just as a man, and as a martial artist, getting this fight was like a task for me to effectively level up just as a human and as a martial artist. I was ready for the task, I trained my butt off. Now, to be fair, every fight camp has been maximized in terms of preparation, but this one was a bit more personal for my own reasons. Getting the victory, it was more meaningful than just a win.”
At 2:09 of the second round, Means (32-15-1 MMA, 14-12 UFC) tapped from a tight guillotine choke that Morono slapped on out of nowhere after missing with a spinning backfist. Immediately after the referee signaled for Morono to release the hold, the fighters embraced, displaying the mutual respect between lifelong martial artists. Morono cleared the hurdle.
“Normally, I don’t care who I fight,” Morono said. “Even back in my non-UFC days, I would fight anyone they would ever offer. Even in the UFC, I couldn’t imagine someone they’d want me to fight and I wouldn’t be excited. This match with Tim Means, I was just like when I took it, there was like a feeling of caution opposed to a feeling of excitement – and then I knew if I could get the win and conquer this task, then it would be quite valuable on a personal level, and certainly it was.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.