Chad Edward Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from the original on October 10, 2016. is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and

collegiate wrestler Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and ...

who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Mendes gained notoriety competing in the featherweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), where he was a three-time

UFC championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

challenger. Competing as a Cal Poly Mustang, he was a two-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

All-American and a Pac-10 Conference champion in folkstyle wrestling.

Wrestling career

NCAA

Mendes wrestled for Cal Poly in

San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly h ...

. He finished his career with an overall record of 64–14 and twice earned NCAA All-American honors at 125 pounds as a sophomore, then 141 pounds as a senior. As a senior, Mendes finished the year with a 30–1 record; he placed 2nd in the 2008 NCAA championships at 141 lb., falling to Ohio State's J Jaggers in the title match. That year, Mendes was Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After the conclusion of his collegiate career, Mendes began to train

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

with Team Alpha Male. He began fighting for the Palace Fighting Championship and went undefeated.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Mendes made his WEC debut against Erik Koch on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47. He won the fight via unanimous decision, despite a cut over his right eye that was examined during the fight to see if he could continue. Mendes faced Anthony Morrison, replacing an injured Mackens Semerzier, on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48. He won the bout via first round submission. Mendes faced

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, Swanson holds the most ...

on August 18, 2010 at WEC 50. He won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28). Mendes faced Javier Vazquez on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52 and defeated him via unanimous decision. Mendes was able to utilize his improved striking to complement his superior wrestling to dictate where he wanted to take the action. During the fight, Mendes used an unorthodox move when he front flipped on Vazquez who was on the ground, to land on him.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010,

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

merged with the

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Mendes made his UFC debut against returning veteran and judo black belt

Michihiro Omigawa is a retrired Japanese mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Cage Rage, World Victory Road, ...

on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Following UFC 129, Dana White mentioned in the post-fight press conference that Mendes may have a shot at the title against UFC featherweight champion

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

. Although the two were expected to fight on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133, Aldo would be sidelined until October recovering from various injuries sustained during his fight with Mark Hominick. Mendes instead faced

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in ...

at the event. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Mendes fought UFC Featherweight Champion

on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142, losing at 4:59 of the first round via KO, giving Mendes his first professional loss. Mendes next faced Cody McKenzie on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148. He won the fight via first-round TKO due to a body punch. Mendes was expected to face Hacran Dias on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX 6. However, in just days before the event, Dias pulled out of the bout, citing a shoulder injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Yaotzin Meza. Mendes defeated Meza via KO at 3:38 in the first round. Mendes was expected to face Manvel Gamburyan on February 23, 2013 at UFC 157. However, Gamburyan pulled out of the bout, citing a thumb injury. Subsequently, Mendes was pulled from the card as a suitable replacement could not be found on short notice. Mendes was expected to face Clay Guida on April 20, 2013 at UFC on Fox 7. However, it was revealed on March 15 that Guida had pulled out of the bout, citing an injury, and he was replaced by Darren Elkins. Mendes won the fight by TKO at 1:08 in the first round. A rescheduled bout with Guida took place on August 31, 2013 at UFC 164. After a close first and second round, Mendes finished Guida via TKO by punches in the third round and became the first man to ever finish Guida by strikes. The win also earned Mendes his first ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award. Mendes faced Nik Lentz on December 14, 2013 at UFC on Fox 9. He won the fight via unanimous decision. A rematch with

was expected to take place on August 2, 2014, as the event headliner at UFC 176 for the UFC Featherweight Championship. However, in early July, Aldo pulled out of the bout with an injury. The rematch with Aldo was subsequently rescheduled and took place on October 25, 2014, at UFC 179. He became the first man to knock down Aldo dropping him with a left hand in the first round. Mendes and Aldo both rocked each other with clean punches, Mendes would go on to lose the fight via unanimous decision. Despite the loss on the scorecards, Mendes was awarded his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award for the bout. The fight won World MMA Awards 2015 ''fight of the year'' award. Mendes faced Ricardo Lamas on April 4, 2015 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 63. Mendes won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Mendes his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. On May 18, 2015, Dana White tweeted that Chad Mendes had agreed to an eight-fight contract with UFC.

was expected to face

Conor McGregor Conor Anthony McGregor ( ga, Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He is the fi ...

on July 11, 2015 at UFC 189 for the undisputed

UFC Featherweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC Championship#Title match system, championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, a ...

. However, in the days leading up to the fight, Aldo pulled out of the bout because of a rib injury he sustained in training. Mendes stepped in as a short notice replacement to face McGregor for the interim championship. Mendes lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Mendes faced Frankie Edgar on December 11, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. After returning from his suspension and two-and-a-half years away from the sport, Mendes faced Myles Jury on July 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 133. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Mendes faced Alexander Volkanovski on December 29, 2018 at UFC 232. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. This fight earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Following the loss, Mendes announced his retirement from the sport.

Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship

On August 4, 2021, Mendes announced that he was released from his UFC contract by his own request and signed a multi-fight contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. However, he later reiterated that he was still under contract with the UFC, but was given exemption to compete in bare-knuckle. He was initially expected to make his debut at a BKFC event on October 22, 2021, but that was postponed on two occasions. He debuted on February 19, 2022 at KnuckleMania 2 defeating Joshuah Alvarez by technical knockout.

Doping violations and suspension

On June 10, 2016, the UFC announced that Mendes had been informed of a potential doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition test conducted by USADA. Mendes responded, "I didn't do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I'm going to pay for it." He claims the cause was from a topical cream used to treat his psoriasis, however, on July 20, 2016, USADA reported that Mendes tested positive for

GHRP-6 Growth hormone-releasing peptide 6 (GHRP-6) (developmental code name SKF-110679), also known as growth hormone-releasing hexapeptide, is one of several synthetic met-enkephalin analogues that include unnatural D-amino acids, were developed for ...

, a

growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in ...

release stimulator, and suspended Mendes for 2 years. He was not eligible to compete again until June 10, 2018.

Submission Grappling

Mendes competed in Submission Underground 3 on January 30, 2017, where he defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 27 time Grapplers Quest champion, Jeff Glover in overtime.

Personal life

Mendes is of Portuguese, Italian, Puerto Rican, Irish, and Native American descent. Mendes and his wife Abby have a daughter, Tallulah (born 2019). Mendes founded the hunting and fishing guide service Finz and Featherz. Mendes was charged with battery for his alleged involvement in a bar fight on July 29, 2012 in his hometown of

Hanford, California Hanford is a city and county seat of Kings County, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley region of the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 53,967 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History ...

. The Kings County District Attorney's Office announced on August 25, 2012, that it would seek a battery charge against Mendes. The charges were dropped after Mendes pleaded no contest to a count of public disturbance and paid a fine.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Knockout of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) ** Performance of the Night (Two times) **Most knockouts in UFC Featherweight history (6) - tied with

* World MMA Awards **2014 Fight of the Year vs.

at UFC 179 *

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

** 2014 Fight of the Year vs.

at UFC 179 *BloodyElbow.com **2014 Fight of the Year vs.

at UFC 179 * MMAJunkie.com **2014 Fight of the Year vs.

at UFC 179 **2014 October Fight of the Month vs.

Collegiate wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

All-American (2006, 2008) **

Pac-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

Championship (2008) **

Wrestler of the Year (2008) **

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Division I 125 lb: 6th place out of Cal Poly (2006) **

Division I 141 lb: Runner-up out of Cal Poly (2008)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 , Alexander Volkanovski , TKO (punches) , UFC 232 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Myles Jury , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 , Frankie Edgar , KO (punch) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 189 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Ricardo Lamas , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 179 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Nik Lentz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 , Clay Guida , TKO (punches) , UFC 164 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Darren Elkins , KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Yaotzin Meza , KO (punches) , UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 , Gold Coast, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Cody McKenzie , TKO (punch to the body) , UFC 148 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, KO (knee) , UFC 142 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 133 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 126 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Javier Vazquez , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 52 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WEC 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Anthony Morrison , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 48 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Erik Koch , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Mike Joy , Decision (unanimous) , Tachi Palace Fights 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Steven Siler , KO (punches) , TPF: Best of Both Worlds , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Art Arciniega , Decision (unanimous) , PFC: Best of Both Worlds 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Leland Gridley , TKO (punches) , PFC: Best of Both Worlds , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Giovanni Encarnacion , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PFC 10: Explosive , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, United States ,

Pay-per-view bouts

Bare knuckle record

, - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Joshuah Alvarez , TKO (punches) , BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

, United States , , -

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2008 NCAA Championships at 141 lbs , - , Loss , 10-5 , align=left, J Jaggers , style="font-size:88%", 2-5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 22, 2008 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 10-4 , align=left, Nathan Morgan , style="font-size:88%", 1-0 , - , Win , 9-4 , align=left, Nick Gallick , style="font-size:88%", 5-0 , - , Win , 8-4 , align=left, Ryan Williams , style="font-size:88%", 7-4 , - , Win , 7-4 , align=left, Steve Adamcsik , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2006 NCAA Championships 6th at 125 lbs , - , Loss , 6-4 , align=left, Sam Hazewinkel , style="font-size:88%", 1-7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, March 17, 2006 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 6-3 , align=left, John Velez , style="font-size:88%", 7-4 , - , Win , 5-3 , align=left, Kyle Ott , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Loss , 4-3 , align=left, Nick Simmons , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 4-2 , align=left, Chad Sportelli , style="font-size:88%", 3-2 , - , Win , 3-2 , align=left, Brad Gentzle , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2005 NCAA Championships at 133 lbs , - , Loss , 2-2 , align=left,

Mark Jayne Mark Jayne is a former American wrestling, wrestler. He established himself in wrestling at St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio), Lakewood St. Edward High School in Ohio. Jayne was a three-time state champion in for St. Edward, while his team ...

, style="font-size:88%", 6-7 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 18, 2005 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Loss , 2-1 , align=left, Mack Reiter , style="font-size:88%", 3-8 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, Matt Ciasulli , style="font-size:88%", 6-4 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Evan Sola , style="font-size:88%", Fall , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendes, Chad 1986 births Living people People from Hanford, California American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American people of Portuguese descent American people of Puerto Rican descent American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Native American sportspeople American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California People from Kings County, California Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling American male sport wrestlers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters