The last three men to fall to Jose Aldo are either retired or riding three-fight losing streaks. Now Chad Mendes looks to avoid joining such a dubious list.
Mendes is set to take on former 155-pounder Cody McKenzie in a featherweight bout at UFC 148, promotion officials announced on Friday morning. The summer card is slated for July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, and is headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
Mendes (11-1) hopes to rebound after suffering the first loss of his career in devastating fashion, getting knocked out cold by an Aldo knee with a second remaining in the first round of their title fight at UFC 142. Prior to the setback, the 27-year-old former All-American racked up eleven straight victories, including a pair of UFC wins over Michihiro Omigawa and Rani Yahya, both via unanimous decision.
McKenzie (13-2), meanwhile, faces a quick turnaround after submitting highly-regarded prospect Marcus LeVesseur earlier this week with yet another guillotine choke. The 24-year-old now holds 11 guillotine finishes on his résumé and has become widely renown for the submission, which he jokingly refers to as “The McKenzietine.”