Team Alpha Male fighter, and current UFC featherweight fighter Chad Mendes (10-0) opted to step back into the Octagon for his next fight rather than waiting for a title shot against Jose Aldo this fall. UFC President Dana White had talked about pitting the undefeated Mendes against Aldo in August, but the champ said that he couldn’t possibly be ready until September and wanted to be 100% for his next opponent.
Mendes was then given Rani Yahya as his next opponent, and the two are scheduled to meet on Aug. 6 at UFC 133 in Philadelphia.
Mendes was a recent guest on The MMA Hour, speaking to host Ariel Helwani to talk about why he chose to face another opponent instead of Aldo, as well as his upcoming fight against Yahya.
“It definitely is something we were thinking about (fighting Aldo), but I want to compete. It’s frustrating to get in here and train 2-3 times a day hard, every day, and not have a light at the end of the tunnel, a fight to look forward to. That’s what motivates me. Getting that opponent, knowing who it is, watching tape on him, that’s what motivates me to get in and bust my butt every day. It’s frustrating not knowing, so like I said, I just want to compete.”
“It’s something I wanted and it’s what I was pushing for, but overall if he’s injured, take as much time as you need,” he said. “I’d rather fight the best Jose Aldo there is and have no excuses.
“I love to fight,” he continued. “I want to get in there and compete. I didn’t want to wait 8-9 months if he wasn’t going to fight. So I decided to go with Rani Yahya, a for-sure fight. I had the contract in front of me, so I took it.”