Athletes
Court McGee Not Ready to Call It a Day Just Yet
Utah Native Discusses Fight With Tim Means, Future In the Octagon
Court McGee was raised in Layton, Utah, a city of roughly 80,000 people about 30 minutes north of Salt Lake City, where the 39-year-old welterweight will kick off the UFC 307 fight card on Saturday night in a clash with fellow veteran Tim Means.
It’s just the second time in what will now be 23 UFC appearances that “The Crusher” has had the opportunity to come in his home state, and with his 40th birthday on the horizon, three consecutive losses on the top of his record, and plans for his post-fighting life having been in place and thriving for several years now, this weekend’s contest at Delta Center feels like an ideal Hollywood moment for the former Ultimate Fighter winner to make the walk one final time in front of family and friends, and ride off into the sunset, regardless of how things shake out this weekend.
After a teary speech when he first earned his place on the UFC roster, another one to bookend his exit in front of a partisan crowd would be a perfect way to close out a 15-year career competing on the biggest stage in the sport.
How To Watch UFC 307 In Your Region
But that’s not the plan.
“No,” McGee says sharply, instantly chasing his words with a laugh when I ask my long-time friend if Saturday’s foray into the Octagon will be his last. “I have three more in my contract, so, my intention is to complete the contract.
“Here’s the thing,” he continues, setting the stage for what our history together tells me is going to be a detailed explanation of how he arrived at his decision to soldier on, not just through this fight, but to the end of his current contract. “I got my neck fixed about six months before that last fight with Alex Morono.”
Preview The Entire Pay-Per-View Card
The tenured welterweight recounts how he asked the doctor a series of questions about ailments and maladies that he had been dealing with over the last several years, all of which he believed were tied to his neck issues, and the doctor confirmed would be addressed and remedied almost entirely.
When he asked if he would be able to return to competition, he was given a six-month timeline, and the news lit a spark in McGee.
“I didn’t know if he was gonna say that or not, so I was elated, because I had one more fight in my contract, so I was like, ‘I’ll finish this one out,’” he explains. “When I signed that fight, I didn’t realize how good I was gonna feel.
“I hadn’t felt that great in years, and I came out a little apprehensive, but I hadn’t made it to a second round in two fights. I had 17 decisions in a row, so I’m used to fighting for 15 minutes, now all of a sudden I’m like, ‘I wanna make it to the second round.’ I make it to the second round and I’m like, ‘Holy s***! I’m here! Let’s go!’ The fight got over with, it was close, but I had so much confidence.
“So I renegotiated and that Morono fight was my first fight in a four-fight deal,” adds McGee, who earned a unanimous decision win in his only previous appearance in the Utah capital back in 2016. “When I found out they were coming to Salt Lake, I was like, ‘Get me on this card!’ and they were like, ‘Okay; looking for an opponent.’ He shot me a text and was like, ‘I’ve got Tim Means’ and that’s a great fight.”
From a matchup standpoint, Means makes a great deal of sense as a dance partner for McGee, as the two are at a similar point in their lives and careers.
Saturday will be Means’ 52nd professional appearance, and in February, “The Dirty Bird” will turn 41. Like McGee, he’s struggled as of late, suffering a first-round stoppage loss last time out in April and entering with a 1-4 mark over his previous five outings.
It’s a matchup that shows McGee is cognizant of where he stands in the division and where he’s at in his career, even if the usually talkative fighter can’t quite articulate those words himself.
“Five years ago, nobody wanted the Sean Brady fight,” he begins, thinking back to the night he welcomed Brady to the Octagon, going the distance with the Philadelphia native, who sits at No. 6 in the welterweight rankings, and whose only loss in the division came at the hands of current champ Belal Muhammad. “He had a bunch of wins, no one wanted to fight him, and they were like, ‘Will you take this?’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ I was feeling competitive.
WATCH: UFC 307 Embedded
“Right now, could I compete with that?”
He pauses, and in that pause is an admission that not many athletes are able to voice while they’re still active.
Without uttering the words, McGee’s silence indicates that he knows he needs to pick his spots a little more judiciously, taking a page from the book of fellow veteran Jim Miller, whose passion to continue competing still burns bright, but who has recognized he is no longer in a position to challenge the standouts at the top of the lightweight division.
“This is a great fight,” he says of the pairing with Means. “Where my neck feels good and I’m feeling competitive, this is a good opportunity for me to go out — stylistically, it’s a great fight because he’s scrappy, he’s been around forever; he’s an old, gritty veteran like me.”
When I mention that it also serves as another opportunity to gather data for assessing where he stands, McGee is quick to agree.
“Exactly —it’s a good waypoint because this is a winnable fight. Every fight is a winnable fight and anything can happen, but I’m okay with where I’m at. I’m not coming with any grandiosity or ‘I’m going on a title run!’”
While most saw this fight as the chance for McGee to potentially have that Hollywood ending to his career, the veteran admits the though didn’t even cross his mind.
Instead, he’s leaning into how good he’s feeling, eager to make the walk again, and take another look at things on the other side of Saturday’s contest.
MORE UFC 307: Pennington Interview | Peña Interview | Rountree Speaks With Megan Olivi | Wonderboy Interview | Main Event Preview | Main Event Breakdown | UFC 307 Countdown
“I mean it would be cool to have my last fight in Utah, but here’s the thing — and I’m not just saying this either: I might have a few years ago, but I feel f*****’ great,” he says with a laugh. “I’m feeling real good, and I haven’t felt like this a long time. I feel like I can throw a little bit of caution to the wind, and I committed.
“I feel real good with it, but of course I’m just taking it one fight at a time,” adds McGee. “I feel confident, I know the game plan, I know what I’m doing. I feel good with it; I feel real good with it.”
UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr., took place live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!