411 MMA Interviews: Chad Mendes

Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 06.13.2011

UFC featherweight title contender Chad Mendes talks with 411 about the title bout with Jose Aldo that didn't come together, his upcoming fight at UFC 133 with Rani Yahya, Kenny Florian and more!

On February 5, Chad "Money" Mendes (10-0, MMA; 1-0, UFC) made his Octagon debut where he defeated one of the top ranked featherweights in the world, Michihiro Omigawa (12-9-1, MMA; 0-3, UFC). Before joining the UFC roster in their newly minted featherweight division, Mendes had a dominant run in the now defunct WEC when they were under the ZUFFA banner where Mendes won all four of his fights. Currently Mendes is undefeated and is gearing for his next fight on August 6 at UFC 133 against Rani Yahya (16-6, MMA; 1-0, UFC). At one point, Dana White reportedly stated that Mendes could be the next in line to face current reigning UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo. However, Jose Aldo is still on the injured list following his last fight so Mendes opted to stay active instead. I got the chance to speak with Aldo last week after his training session:



Jeffrey Harris: What do you think of your upcoming matchup with Rani Yahya?

Chad Mendes: I think it's a great matchup for me, not such a great matchup for him. My whole background is wrestling. I've been wrestling since I was five years old, and my style of wrestling is something that's going to be hard for him to deal with. I use my speed a lot. I'm fast, I'm strong, and I love to scramble. He likes to get guys, just desperately shoot in on the leg, and just kind of pull in to the ground. I'd kind of just like to use my footwork in and out kind of like what we saw with Michihiro Omigawa and just tag him from the outside and get out and just expect him to be dropping in on that single leg. It's great for me. Joseph Benavidez has already fought him, and he's gone through the whole camp, and we've gone over game plan, so basically I just kind of get to transfer that over to me and get over there and kick some butt. So I'm excited.

Jeffrey Harris: Did you see Yahya's fight with Mike Brown?

Chad Mendes: Yeah, I did see it.

Jeffrey Harris: What did you make of Yahya and Mike Brown's performances in that fight?

Chad Mendes: Yeah definitely. I was actually surprised how much he dominated. I mean Yahya is strong. He's very deceivingly strong, you look at the guy and he doesn't necessarily look super athletic, but you can tell when he gets in there and gets a hold of guys, he's like a leech. He just gets a hold of legs and just pulls guys down. That's pretty much what he did with Brown, just kind of got a hold of him and just leeched on and it looked like it wore Brown out bad. And we kind of saw that with the fight with [Diego] Nunes too. He just hasn't been looking the same. He looks like he's been gassing out really bad at the end of the first and second. Whether or not Brown is the same Brown as he was back in the day, or Yahya is just that tough, so we don't know. But I'm definitely going to be studying him and watching him and we're going to have a great game plan for this fight just like we do every fight and like I said: I'm excited to get in there and showcase my skills again.

Jeffrey Harris: I think Yahya's strength lie in his ground and submission game. But you've faced a guy like that before in the Javier Vasquez fight and came out on top. Does that give you confidence you will be prepared for Yahya on the ground and have no trouble negating his ground game and controlling him if the fight goes there?

Chad Mendes: Yeah a fight like that with Javi definitely gave me confidence going against the black belts, but I said before that I – if wrestling had belts, I'd be a black belt. I've been wreslting since I was 5 years old. I've done it my entire life. I've wrestled at the top levels in high school, college, so I feel very confident in my ground game and my ability to scramble and my strength. So I definitely feel confident going into this fight and taking this fight where ever it goes. If I take him down, I feel like I can hold him there and grind it out or if I wanted to stand and just pick him apart, I think I would be able to do that too. I think definitely the most dangerous part is him getting on top of me, and that's not where I want to be ever in this fight. So I'll use my wrestling skills, my scrambling, and hopefully like I said the game plan will put in motion and get in there and do what I got to do.
Jeffrey Harris: You are still a young fighter and young in the sport. But in a short time you've already risen to the top. I think though where we've seen some marked improvement from you in your recent fights was really your standup like with the Javier Vasquez fight and the Michihiro Omigawa fight. Whenever you were on the feet with Vasquez, you were outworking him and out punching him and throwing knee strikes. And we saw the knees in the Omigawa fight too. It just really seems to be something you are really showing improvement and work on.

Chad Mendes: Yeah I've been working on my stand up since I've been here. I've been fighting almost three years. It hasn't even been three years yet. So there's still a lot of stuff I'm learning. This is so fun for me. This is what I love to do, so I'm just soaking it all in. I've got great work out partners and great trainers here so the standup part is something I'm really, really working on; something that I love and like I said it's new to me so it's easy for me to enjoy doing it and picking it up. Every fight that I fight, I feel like I'm getting more comfortable with getting in there and letting my hands go. I'm able to be more creative the more comfortable I get. So it's just all coming together, and every fight like you said I'm getting better and better and I feel better. So I think this is going to be another fight for me to get in there and showcase my standup.

Jeffrey Harris: I saw the fight live between Yahya and your friend and training partner Joseph Benavidez live at WEC 45. And based on that fight, I think you are likely better in the striking area than Yahya. Do you feel the same way as well?

Chad Mendes: Yeah definitely. I think the same thing. I definitely believe my standup is a lot better than his. With Yahya, you just got to be careful with coming in too fast I think because he will just drop to the single leg and it looks like he's got a grip from hell. That's not the type of guy you want to get a hold of your legs, but I feel confident with my abilities, my defense, and stuff like that. So I honestly would like to keep it just like a sprawl and brawl kind of fight. Just keep him at bay with my wrestling and keep it on the feet as much as possible because I really do think I'll be able to pick him apart on the feet. I think I'll be too fast and too powerful.

Jeffrey Harris: OK so now let's get to the tough stuff with Jose Aldo. And you are probably already tired of talking about this. But was a fight with Jose Aldo for the title ever on the table for you?

Chad Mendes: You know it was kind of something that was talked about but I never had a contract in front of me. It was never something where I was sitting there having to decide whether or not I wanted to sign it. It's just kind of all talk and nothing was ever for sure. I got the word that he wasn't going to be fighting in August like we had hoped. I was OK waiting from February to August and that was kind of a long wait. It was something I was willing to do. But then they keep pushing it back, pushing it back, and I'm just a competitor. I like to get in the cage and compete. That's what I'm training my butt off every day for. And so when I heard it was going to be maybe September/October, which would be like 7-8-9 months without fighting, it's not something I want to do. I'm a fighter and like I said training to compete. I've been competing since I was five years old. And I just don't like working out and having to train with no light at the end of the tunnel. I like having that fight there. I love knowing who I'm going to fight, when; it's just something I love to do. It was never 100%. Like I said, there was never a contract in front of me. It was just kind of something that was up in the air. And it was actually something that I really wanted and what I was hoping for. I'm honestly kind of bummed that it's not happening yet. But I honestly believe that I'm young in the sport and it's going to happen sooner or later. This will be my 11th fight, so it's not like you haven't got here quick enough. So that title fight is going to come, and basically it comes down to this. If Aldo is hurt – because I've heard stories that he's hurt, he's not hurt, it's his shoulder, his elbow, his neck – whatever it is, I just want him to get better. I want to fight the best Jose Aldo there is. I want to beat the best Jose Aldo there is. I don't want any excuses, "Oh I lost because of this," "I didn't fight well because of this." I don't want to hear any of that kind of stuff. I want to be the best. And to be the best you got to beat the best. So take your time man, just get better, whatever you got to do, and let's just get in that cage and scrap.

Jeffrey Harris: Jose Aldo's manager Ed Soares said Aldo is injured and he's doing rehab and would be ready to go probably in October. So even waiting just another two months if it means getting a shot at the title, you really didn't want to do that?

Chad Mendes: No. I mean think about it. I haven't fought since February 5. That's a long way off especially being so young in my career. I'm not getting better just sitting on the shelf. I like getting in there and competing . . . I do have great sponsors, so it's not necessarily just the money. I'm on salary from two different people, so money is not the issue. But for me, we talked about it earlier, I feel like I'm getting so much better with each fight. If I'm going to wait 8 months, why not just take another fight? People are saying, well like what happens if you lose? Well, I honestly believe everything happens for a reason. And if for whatever reason I didn't win then I honestly believe that it wasn't meant to be. I have faith in my skills. I have faith in my training. I know how hard I work. And I know what I'm capable of doing. So taking this fight with Rani Yahya, I'm very confidint in it and I believe in my heart and in my mind that I'm going to win this fight. So, like I said, everything happens for a reason. That title shot is going to come soon enough.

Jeffrey Harris: I think that is a positive outlook to have on the situation. In comparison you can see Rashad Evans' situation where he tried very hard to chase a shot at the belt. He beat Quinton "Rampage" Jackson a year ago, and here we are over a year later and Evans still isn't getting a shot at the title. So there is something to be said about staying active and keeping your skills shot instead of waiting on the shelf to get a shot at the belt that may never come.

Chad Mendes: Exactly. I mean ring rust – we talk about it all the time, you hear about it and it's something that's true. You definitely have ring rust. I broke my hand in the fight right before my fight with ZUFFA for my first WEC fight and I was out almost like 7 months. And I came back against a tough guy, Erik Koch, and I had a very tough fight. I felt very kind of out of my element. I had ring rust. Waiting 8 months to get in there with a guy like Aldo is probably not the smartest thing to do and it's not something I want to do. I want to be my best. I want to feel great and I want to get in there and beat the best Aldo and take that belt. That's the ultimate goal. That's what I'm trained for every day, and I just think that taking this fight and staying sharp is probably the best thing to do.

Jeffrey Harris: You addressed what would happen if you lose. But also you have Kenny Florian moving down to featherweight. So you have big stars coming down to featherweight and there are reports of Hatsu Hioki even coming in. So Kenny Florian is fighting Diego Nunes. Florian is angling for a shot at Aldo. So what would you think if Florian wins his fight with Nunes and suddenly he's getting the next shot at Aldo, would that upset you?

Chad Mendes: I mean yeah I would definitely be bummed if that happened, especially if I go in there and make a statement against Rani Yahya. I believe that I should be the next person in line. It was supposed to be me anyway, but ultimately that is up to the UFC. They're the boss, so what they say goes. But yeah, I would definitely be upset if that were the case. But like I said earlier, that title shot is going to come soon enough for me. I keep winning, I keep beating whoever they put in front of me they have no choice but to give it to me. So my time will come.

Jeffrey Harris: Depending on Aldo's injury and his situation what do you think of possibly having to get in the cage with Kenny Florian or Diego Nunes somewhere down the line?

Chad Mendes: I'm sure it's going to happen sooner or later. I think I match up very good for me, very bad for them. My style, my wrestling style, we already saw Kenny Florian how he did against wrestlers at 155 and just kind of got dominated every single time. So I think that style is bad for him. He's more of a standup guy, but he's not necessarily super stacked and explosive, so I think for me, a guy like Kenny Florian would be a great fight for me. I honestly believe I'd be able to get in there and pick him apart and just use both standup and ground and pound and kind of keep him guessing the whole time and just grind him out and make him very uncomfortable. And Diego is also another tough guy. He's more of a standup guy in his fights, not necessarily super explosive either or fast. He's definitely tough, but it doesn't matter if you're tough or not. You get beat the whole time, you're losing the fight. So I think those are great matchups for me.

Jeffrey Harris: How did you like getting to be on that huge Super Bowl weekend card fighting Omigawa? I think the ratings for your prelim fight on Spike TV were as high as 2 million viewers.

Chad Mendes: Man that was awesome and it was definitely the biggest fight of my life. It was something I was super excited for and really looking forward to. Omigawa is a great opponent, but I felt like it was a great matchup for me. Knowing that I was going to be in front of that many people and fans and all those people seeing me, it was just awesome. I remember going through that whole camp and just being super excited and like I said, I felt he was going to be a great matchup for me and a great guy for me that I can get in there and showcase my standup and I got to do it. So overall, that was definitely a very, very exciting fight for me.

Jeffrey Harris: Omigawa had fought in the UFC before, but he came back with a very impressive record at featherweight. Despite all that, you looked better than him pretty much everywhere. Omigawa has a great judo background, so what was the game plan for Omigawa?

Chad Mendes: That's something I pride myself on. I work so hard on being an all around fighter and just being great at every aspect whether it's taking guys down, staying on top, ground and pound, or like I said working on my standup. So it's all starting to come together and I'm starting to learn and pick all these guys brains and pick everything out and I'm confident in every part of the game. The game plan for him was basically just that. Use my footwork. In and out. Pick him apart on the feet. Try and hit him with a few big punches which I did. I got to drop him, and that guy was a tough dude. I hit that guy with everything but the kitchen sink and he didn't go out, so my hats off to him for that. That was definitely the game plan, just in and out movement. We work a lot that stuff here with Master Tong. And then taking it to the ground whenever I needed. He had great takedown defense. I mean his hips were unbelievably strong. And that's probably all from the judo. I had a couple tough times trying to take him down, but when I got the distance closed I was able to take him down but a lot of times shooting from too far away he was able to hit me off. So overall I thought that was a great fight for me.

Jeffrey Harris: In your last fight in the WEC you beat Javier Vasquez. There was a fun moment in the fight where you did a somersault into a kick and it ended up being a fun sort of scramble moment. Do you remember doing that flip and the scramble in that fight? What was going through your head at that point?

Chad Mendes: Oh yeah. I definitely remember it. A week before I actually left to Vegas, I was – the last week we were just trying to drill, nothing like high impact. It was all about just losing weight and going over game plans and stuff, and I was drilling with one of my teammates, TJ Villishaw, and we were sitting there taking him down and I was standing over the top of him and basically exactly like we were in the fight. And were kind of just talking, "wouldn't it be so cool if I could just do like a front flip and kick you or landing in guard?" "Yeah that'd be cool. You'd be a legend." So I just remember in the fight, I kept getting in that position and he kept kicking my knee out. I couldn't get close enough to pass or do anything. And so finally I just kind of got fed up with it and I'm just like I'm going to go for it and I did the front flip and didn't necessarily land in the position I wanted to but that just goes to show I'm still confident in my scrambling ability in that I'm just like "F it, I'm going to do it." And I got in the scramble and he's definitely not the type of guy you want to have on your back. But I felt confident and I went for it again and the second flip that I did through his legs is actually something that I've been doing since wrestling for years. So that wasn't anything new, but actually going for the front flip from the open position was just kind of something I just made up and did. So that was definitely fun. I love looking back on it now. A lot of the fans really like that too, so it's cool hearing fans come up and say stuff about it and really appreciate it.

Jeffrey Harris: What do you make of Aldo's performance in the Hominick fight at UFC 129? Was Aldo having trouble after getting bigger and cutting down to 145 or was Mark Hominick tougher than a lot of people gave him credit for?

Chad Mendes: I mean we all know Mark Himinick is a tough guy. He's got great standup. He's super technical and fast. He's got power; he's knocked out guys in the cage and in the ring before. So I'm not taking anything away from Hominick. The guy is definitely tough. But I heard that Aldo came into that fight the week before, he showed up in Toronto at like 174 lbs. or something like ridiculous. And I don't know what the deal was why he – I don't know why he wasn't cutting his weight right or something, I don't know. They were blaming something on antibiotics or something like that. Who knows if that kept the weight on him, and it made him get bloated or something; hold water, but showing up that much over you know 4 or 5 days out -- that's ridiculous. So that in itself will drain you if you're getting into a fight. So it could be that. It could be that. It could be the antibiotics. There's a few things it could've been. The cardio from grappling to standup is completely different. And going from one to the other, something is going to slow down whether it be your grappling, you're going to get more tired, or you know your standup is going to get slower. And for him, it definitely slowed down his arms. You could tell his arms got full blood. He was definitely pumped in there. It definitely slowed his punches down. It could be a few different things. Who knows? I'm not a doctor. I don't know exactly, but that was a great fight for me to see. Definitely a confidence booster and being as I'm a wrestler and being that I want to take that guy to the ground and grind him out is a huge confidence booster.

Jeffrey Harris: I think it's an interesting matchup. Aldo's got powerful striking and deadly leg kicks. We saw what he did to Urijah Faber's leg in their fight. But I definitely think a fight with you and Aldo is a compelling matchup.

Chad Mendes: I want to fight him, so if anyone has the best chance of beating him in this division, I think it's me just because of my style. We do know that his standup is super dangerous, dynamic. You got to be careful of those big knees and the big punches, but I honestly believe that if I can get passed those big punches, and knees, and kicks, and if I can take him into my world, it's going to be a whole different fight. It's going to slow him down, and it's going to break him a little bit I think. So honestly it's just weathering the storm with that guy and keeping my mind right and not breaking myself and getting in there pushing the pace, and like I said putting him into my world. And if I think that happens, it's going to be a great night for me.

Jeffrey Harris: How was the UFC Fighter Summit and how does it feel knowing that you will now have full accident coverage under the ZUFFA fighter banner?

Chad Mendes: Yeah that's huge man. The summit was cool. It's always something that I kind of dread a little bit when I start thinking that I got to go to it, but it always turns out a great experience. We learn a lot of stuff. It's basically like sitting in class for two days straight. Which nobody really likes that but overall we learn some great stuff and I'm very appreciative of it and glad that they do that kind of stuff.

Finding out that we are getting insurance was huge. I was so excited. I still am excited. That was something I was hoping was going to get done, knowing that we need it. Because most of the time you get injured, a lot of the time it's in training, it's not even in a fight. Without insurance, you're in here training every day and it's kind of stressful. You can't take risks and stuff. Not that I am going to be stupid and take extra risks anyway, but it's just a little peace of mind knowing that it's there for you if something does happen.

Jeffrey Harris: How do you like the walkout shirts from FORM Athletics?

Chad Mendes: Both of those are awesome, I like them both. The guys that do the artwork on those are sweet. But my last walkout shirt, the all green one, was awesome.

Jeffrey Harris: Do you have any input on the designs of your shirts or do they mainly come up with it themselves?

Chad Mendes: Yeah definitely. They'll come up with something, give us a rough outline of what it is going to be, and if there is stuff that we like or stuff that we don't like we just kind of let them know and we switch stuff up. It's a great, great sponsorship. FORM Athletics are doing good things so that's another company I'm super proud to be a part of. It's clothes that are not covered in skulls and crossbones. It can be worn anywhere.

Jeffrey Harris: Are there any sponsors or people you would like to thank or give a shout out to?

Chad Mendes: Yeah I definitely want to give a shout out to my managers, Mike and Jeff with MMA, Inc. doing big things, helping me out, helping all of us out honestly. Those guys have a lot on their plate. They're doing big things for us so I want to thank them. I want to thank my sponsors AMP Energy and FORM Athletics. Like I said, they're helping me out when I'm not actually in the cage and also when I'm in the cage. They're doing big things for me and I appreciate it.

Jeffrey Harris: Thanks so much for your time and good luck with the fight in August.

Chad Mendes: I appreciate it, thank you.



Thank you to Chad Mendes for taking time out of his schedule to speak with us. Remember to tune into the 411 Ground and Pound Radio Show on Sunday at 11:30AM EST. You can also give the latest episode a listen to below:

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