UFC on FOX 12 results, photos: Tim Means outstrikes injured Hernani Perpetuo

SAN JOSE – Tim Means (21-6-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) might not have won the start of the fight, but he managed to hold on through an early assault and ended up being the sole source of offense by the end.

For his trouble, he was awarded a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Brazilian Hernani Perpetuo (17-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) after three hard-fought rounds.

The welterweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FOX 12 preliminary card at San Jose’s SAP Center. It aired on FOX following select prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Perpetuo started the fight like a man who had somewhere else to be. He blitzed Means in the opening minute, using a series of hooks and a hard-charging attack to put the American on the defensive.

But Means stayed calm and collected, and once that initial burst from Perpetuo was out of the way he slowly began to take control of the fight. After hurting Perpetuo with a straight left in the second, Means stayed after his opponent while also staying patient.

By the time the third round rolled around, Perpetuo seemed to be dealing with an injury that had entirely shut down any offense involving his left hand, leaving Means free to attack at will with little fear of a counter. Perpetuo lost none of his intensity, despite the injury, but the more he waved Means in, the more he suffered for his impertinence. In the end, it was an easy call for the judges, all three of whom gave Means two of the three rounds.

Means bounces back in the win column following a decision loss to Neil Magny in May. Perpetuo has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 12 results include:

• Tim Means def. Hernani Perpetuo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brian Ortega def. Mike De La Torre via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:39
• Tiago Trator def. Akbarh Arreola via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Gilbert Burns def. Andreas Stahl via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Noad Lahat def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC on FOX 12, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on-site on San Jose.)