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Muhammad takes razor-close striking match over Means at UFC Sydney

Christopher Hyde / USA TODAY Sports

The absence of a stoppage not withstanding, UFC Fight Night 121's welterweight clash of strikers proved every bit as advertised.

Belal Muhammad took a closely contested chess match over Tim Means by split decision for his third victory of 2017. The W - Muhammad's fourth in six walks to the Octagon - gave him the gall to call out brash contender Colby Covington immediately following the official decision.

As predicted, the pair kept this one standing, with Means' left hand finding Muhammad's dome and body in equal measure while his foe rode an active jab and found a home for his right hand with regularity through a nail-biter of an opening frame.

Muhammad's edge in speed appeared to frustrate Means early, but the wily vet chipped away at his base and controlled the range with leg and front kicks - sprinkling in his power left all the while - to make the judges' task all the more thankless.

Round 3 produced much of the same, but while Means narrowly outlanded his foe with his more varied toolkit, Muhammad consistently hit his one-two more cleanly to get the nod on two of three scorecards.

Means - who'd filled in for a flagged Jesse Taylor - has now alternated wins and losses over his last four fights. He's gone 7-4 since returning to the UFC over three years ago.

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