Means shines; Brandao, Dempsey pick up wins on UFC on FOX 15 Fight Pass Prelims

Tim Means def. George Sullivan via third-round arm triangle

You'd never guess Tim Means took this fight on short notice.

Putting on a strong technical performance over three rounds, Means was able to secure a late third-round submission to earn his fourth straight win since dropping his return to the UFC in May 2014.

After edging out Sullivan with precision striking on the feet, "The Dirty Bird" was able to get his tired out opponent down in the third to dominate the grappling battle before putting him away with an impressive arm triangle on the ground.

Diego Brandao def. Jimy Hettes via first-round TKO (doctor's stoppage)

It wasn't the best win on Diego Brandao's résumé but, alas, a win is a win.

After both fighters got off to a strong start with some nice grappling exchanges in the first round, Jimy Hettes received a gash on his left ear and the doctor stepped in to call off the fight before the second round could get underway.

While Brandao will certainly take the victory to get back on the winning track, a potential rematch with Hettes would make a lot of sense as well.

Chris Dempsey def. Eddie Gordon via split decision

Things have gone from bad to worse for Eddie Gordon.

The Ultimate Fighter 19 middleweight winner dropped a close split decision to former light heavyweight Chris Dempsey at UFC on FOX 15.

After coming out with a stiff striking performance in the first round, Gordon was still able to out-strike Dempsey 34-18. The second round swayed more in favor of Dempsey as the big middleweight was able to land some shots and earn a takedown at the end of the round.

The third round, while closely contested again, saw Dempsey as the fresher fighter, as he utilized his strong wrestling to outwork a clearly gassed Gordon who tired as the fight drew closer to an end. The judges' score came down to two 29-28 scorecards for Dempsey in his middleweight debut.