Chad Mendes‘ heart is racing, and he can’t control his breathing.
Sweaty palms. Dry mouth. Nervousness has taken over.
He goes on autopilot, relying on the motions he’s practiced over and over to prepare for this moment, and the deed is done.
The shakes set in, but he knows the worst is over now.
He slayed the elk, and he’ll soon collect his trophy.
For the UFC featherweight contender, nothing compares to the thrill of the hunt, not in the flat-out intensity of it all, anyway. An avid outdoorsman, Mendes spends as much time as possible in the woods or on his boat, chasing after the wild and wonderful creatures of Mother Earth.
While he’s fought in huge fights—UFC title fights—in the past, nothing rattles his nerves like the moment when he has his bow drawn back, patiently awaiting the perfect opportunity to let the arrow fly.
“I get way more nervous for that [taking the kill shot] than I do when I get in there to fight for some reason,” Mendes told Bleacher Report. “They’re completely different for me.”
To hear Mendes tell it, fighting plays on antithetical emotions. Whereas staring across the cage from the likes of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo might give you or I heart palpitations, Mendes finds a strange calm in combat.
“I was just talking about this the other day before we were about to start sparring,” Mendes said. “Before I get in the cage or when I get in the cage, I’m just staring at my opponent across the Octagon, and I almost get a kind of weird, almost euphoric, super-relaxed feeling. I don’t know if that’s an adrenaline dump or if that’s just your body calming yourself down before the adrenaline kicks in.”
Now, Mendes looks to find his inner peace Saturday evening at UFC Fight Night 63, where he will face former featherweight title challenger Ricardo Lamas in the night’s main event.
Both fighters boast rapidly evolving skill sets, and each time either man steps into the cage, fans can expect a new and improved version to be put on display. For Mendes, who came into the sport of MMA as a no-nonsense, take-you-down-and-pound-you-out wrestler in 2008, the first major evolution came after his UFC 142 knockout loss to Aldo.
Following the defeat—his first as a pro—Mendes began to show off a vastly improved striking game honed under the tutelage of then-Team Alpha Male coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig.
Mendes always had massive power packed into his 5’6″, 145-pound frame, but now that power had a purpose, and the purpose was mass destruction.
Four knockouts in five victories followed, and Mendes earned his second shot at Aldo’s strap, where he would again come up short, this time receiving the wrong end of a unanimous decision at UFC 179.
Should he defeat Lamas Saturday in Fairfax, Virginia, Mendes wants that third shot at Aldo. He still believes he has what it takes to dethrone the featherweight king.
“Aldo is the only guy who has beaten me in this sport,” Mendes said. “It would mean a lot to me and a lot to my friends and family to get that redemption, to be the guy to finally beat Jose.”
Of course, there’s the small matter of the trash-talking Irish sensation, Conor McGregor, looming overhead. McGregor is booked to fight Aldo July 11 at UFC 189, and should he become the new champion that night, Mendes has no problem rising up to that challenge either.
“I feel like I’m in a win-win situation here as far as fighting whoever for that belt,” Mendes said. “If McGregor wins, I’d love to get in there and beat the crap out of him for that belt. If Aldo wins, I’d love to get back in there and fight him and hopefully beat him, to be that guy to dethrone him.”
Forced to put his money on the line, Mendes knows who he expects to face. McGregor has great power, but Aldo’s all-around game will be too much on fight night.
“I feel like for whatever reason if McGregor starts getting the best of him standing, Aldo will be able to take him down,” Mendes said. “You saw McGregor get taken down a couple times against [Dennis] Siver pretty easily in that fight, and he’s not even a wrestler. I think Aldo, all in all, is going to win that fight.”
Counting on the championship opportunity, however, could prove dangerous for Mendes ahead of his UFC Fight Night 63 showdown. Lamas is no scrub—he’s one of the best featherweights in the world—and underestimating the Chicago-born fighter could prove deadly.
Thankfully for Mendes, his friend and teammate, UFC lightweight Danny Castillo, previously fought Lamas in the WEC, winning via ferocious knockout. Despite the unfavorable result for Lamas, Mendes recognized his talent and anticipated a future scrap with him from that moment in 2009.
“I’ve been watching this guy [Lamas] fight for a long time,” Mendes said. “I actually helped Danny get ready for that fight. All training camp, I was Lamas. I had to be Lamas, so I’ve watched this guy train, I’ve watched him evolve over the years.
“I remember when he fought Danny at [1]55, he looked to be somewhat of a small ’55’er, and I knew he’d probably come down to [1]45 eventually, and I knew if he did he’d be a top guy. … I’ve watched a lot of tape on him, and I just really feel I match up great with this guy.”
The latest evolution Mendes will showcase Saturday evening, he says, is improved speed. He’s focused on this area of his game leading into his scrap with Lamas, and he expects it to carry him to victory.
“The power’s always been there, [but] the speed is just feeling on point right now, and I feel like that’s something that’s going to be a big factor for me in this fight,” Mendes said. “I feel like I’m a lot quicker than he is, a lot more powerful. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I’m stronger as well. You never know until you get in there and lock up, but I feel like all in all, this is a great matchup for me.”
Chad Mendes is calm.
There must be a fight on the horizon.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com