Chad Mendes, the three-time UFC featherweight title challenger, still has fights left on his UFC contract, but the veteran fighter doesn’t want to return to the Octagon. Since his last UFC fight in December 2018 against future champion Alexander Volkanowski, Mendes has been busy elsewhere in combat sports. But his interest in returning to MMA has been unrealized.
Mendes recently spoke with MMA Fighting following his grappling win over Diego Brandao at ADXC 5, where he discussed the possibility of a return to MMA. The fighter, who challenged Jose Aldo twice and Conor McGregor once for the UFC title in the 2010s, is still under contract with the UFC. Despite this, he’s not interested in fighting again, revealing that he still has “three or four fights left” on his UFC contract but isn’t willing to return to the Octagon.
“I know Ma. I’m still under contract with the UFC,” Mendes said. “I think I still have three or four fights on that last contract that I’ll just never fight, so MMA has somewhere else to get me naked .” – I could do toe boxing and I can come and do these grappling events anytime.”
Mendes dabbled in bare-knuckle boxing, winning by knockout over Joshua Alvarez in 2022 and later losing a split decision to Eddie Alvarez but returning to MMA.
Financial Incentives are key
Mendes made it clear that he would need a big financial incentive to return to the UFC. “They [the UFC] should have paid me more money [to fight again], they really didn’t want to do that, so no,” Mendes said with a laugh. “At this point in my career, I have no desire to lose any weight. I walk around like about 175 [pounds]. Unless it sounds like a lot of money, there’s nothing I really want to do at this point. I love competition and absolutely hate losing weight. If it’s something I can compete in, make some money, have fun, not lose weight, sign up, I’m all for it.”
Mendes focused on other aspects of his life, including his family and his career, which takes up most of his time. He acknowledged that it is difficult to train properly and be ready to compete when you are juggling multiple responsibilities. “At home, I’ve got two girls, a wife, and several businesses that I’m trying to grow and thrive on. Honestly, it’s hard to put in the time I really want. I’m a guy who wants to train and I’m 100 per cent ready for every tournament because I absolutely hate losing, so it’s hard for me.”
The Future of Fighting
Mendes was originally scheduled to fight Kevin Lee at ADXC, but Brandao stepped in as a last-minute replacement. Despite the short preparation time, Mendes managed to win. Mendes reflected on the tournament and expressed his desire to face opponents who have taken advantage of Brandao’s elusive boxing skills
“His wrestling was a little better than I expected,” Mendes said. “I thought I could control the top position a little bit, but he did a good job of not being in any bad positions. He exploded, getting back to his feet. We basically just had to turn it into an evacuation hospital.”
While Mendes is open to future grappling matches, he emphasized the importance of adequate preparation time. “It was the first time I competed in any struggle in like four years, so it was good to get home. I want to fight boxers. I have high-level NCAA wrestling, so having a casual wrestler and being there to wrestle feels great.”
