UFC Featherweight Chad “Money” Mendes has been running a personal marathon of redemption for nearly three years. Sleepless nights and the haunting, reoccurring fears will finally be faced at the finish line on Saturday night.
It all started at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, on Jan. 14, 2012. That evening, under the venomous verbal scorn that was the passionate Brazilian fan base, the American challenged champion Jose Aldo Jr., to a duel that changed his life forever.
The numbers show he out-struck Aldo 28-27 in the first round, landing 13 significant strikes to Jose’s 11. The case could be made he was winning the round, despite going 0-7 with his takedown attempts. However, it is how that “0” has been recorded that has left an indomitable scar on Mendes’ legacy as a Mixed Martial Artist.
He entered the Octagon that evening undefeated, but a perfect storm of mishaps culminated with a shocking, unexpected and perhaps undeserving early ending to his night.
If that 0-7 takedown stat would have read 1-7 instead, perhaps history would have told a different story. During one of his takedown attempts, a blatant fence grab by Aldo negated his body from going airborne, a foul that was disregarded by the referee.
During this week’s UFC Central podcast, Mendes reflected on that very moment with a hint of disdain in his voice.
“I remember being pissed off. I remember looking at the ref like, ‘Dude, what are you gonna do about that?’ And he didn’t do anything at all, so I just kept fighting. But, he should have stopped that, and taken a point for sure.”
With the takedown thwarted and the foul ignored, Mendes did keep on fighting, but a momentary lapse in concentration gave Aldo the tiniest of openings he needed to end the fight. A master striker, with explosive tendencies, the champion felt Mendes ease up on his clinch, turned into him while launching a brutal laser-like knee to the American’s head, just as he was coming in for a takedown.
Chad’s night was quickly over, and before he even knew what happened, Jose had already cleared the height of the Octagon, ran past security and was celebrating with his legion of fans. It was one of the most incredible scenes to ever take place at a UFC event.
Since that victory, both fighters share a common thread: they are both undefeated. Aldo is 3-0, with two victories by decision and one via TKO (injury), while Mendes has gone 5-0, four of which have come by way of TKO.
“I feel like I’ve grown up a lot since that last fight,” says Mendes, who believes it’s personal this time around, not just for himself, but also because he believes he is in Aldo’s head. During a pre-fight promotional stare down, Aldo unexpectedly shoved him and, according to Mendes, back-pedaled shortly thereafter to the media, claiming that he was just “trying to sell the fight.”
“Yeah right,” Mendes said. “He lost his temper, looked like a jackass and it’s perfect. It’s exactly where I want to be. I’m in his head, I’m making this a grudge match and it’s going to be a fun fight for the fans.”
Emotions will definitely be running high in Rio and Mendes also shared on the podcast how he plans on keeping his rage in check, what his perfect fight would be vs one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best and why he subscribes to the theory that Aldo can be considered the best 15-minute fighter in the sport.
With a victory over Aldo, Mendes would make it an All-American chapter for champions in the UFC, with every single title holder hailing from the U.S.A. However, a win over one of the best pound-for-pound fighters would also solidify something he already believes.
“I honestly already consider myself one the best pound-for-pound fighters. It’s not going to be anything new in my mind, but it’s just going to be new to everyone else.”
While his focus is strictly on Aldo, I had to ask him about Conor McGregor, the charismatic Irishman, who has inserted a much-needed jolt to the division with his brashness and natural gift of gab.
Don’t say that to Mendes, who threw a few insults back towards the Dublin native, questioning McGregor’s heart while also offering up a stern warning.
While one marathon will come to an end, a new one is surely on the horizon.
To hear the full interview with Mendes, which kicks off this week’s UFC Central podcast, click here.