Tag: Chad Mendes

Chad Mendes Says BKFC Debut Will Out-Pay Ngannou’s UFC 270 Purse

Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes is getting paid big money for his bare-knuckle boxing debut. Mendes is slated to return to combat sports after a lengthy hiatus. He’ll fight Joshuah Alvarez at BKFC’s upcoming Knucklemania II event on Feb. 19. Mendes hasn’t fought since his UFC finale against Alexander Volkanovski in 2018. After […]

Continue Reading Chad Mendes Says BKFC Debut Will Out-Pay Ngannou’s UFC 270 Purse at MMA News.

Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes is getting paid big money for his bare-knuckle boxing debut.

Mendes is slated to return to combat sports after a lengthy hiatus. He’ll fight Joshuah Alvarez at BKFC’s upcoming Knucklemania II event on Feb. 19.

Mendes hasn’t fought since his UFC finale against Alexander Volkanovski in 2018. After falling to Conor McGregor for the interim featherweight title at UFC 189, he would go on to lose two of his next three against Volkanovski and Frankie Edgar.

Mendes excited his fans when he announced his return to fighting during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. During an interview with MMA Junkie, he admitted that BKFC is giving him a big paycheck for his return, and he’s slated to make more than UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou did at UFC 270.

“I’ll put it this way: I just saw what the UFC heavyweight champion of the world just got paid, and it’s gonna be more than that,” Mendes said. “It’s pretty crazy. I feel blessed for sure.”

Mendes, one of the biggest standouts from the famous Team Alpha Male gym under Urijah Faber, had a very memorable run in the UFC’s featherweight division. He earned wins over the likes of Ricardo Lamas, Myles Jury, and Clay Guida during his time in the Octagon.

While Mendes never earned a UFC featherweight title, he fought in an epic battle against José Aldo at UFC 179 in which some believed he was robbed of the decision. He would go on to get knocked out by McGregor in his last shot at a title a couple of fights later.

McGregor's winning streak continues as he defeats Mendes

Ngannou has been outspoken about how he feels he’s been treated by the UFC brass over the past few years. Ngannou wants flexibility with the UFC to pursue potential boxing fights with the likes of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and others, along with better pay.

If Mendes’ claims about his upcoming paycheck are true, it certainly puts gas on the fire concerning Ngannou’s stance regarding fighter treatment in the UFC.

What are your thoughts on Chad Mendes’ claim?

Continue Reading Chad Mendes Says BKFC Debut Will Out-Pay Ngannou’s UFC 270 Purse at MMA News.

Chad Mendes Set To Make Bare Knuckle Debut On Feb. 19

Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes will make his combat sports return in Bare Knuckle FC next month.

News of Mendes’ promotional debut was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Mendes signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC despite still …

Chad Mendes

Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes will make his combat sports return in Bare Knuckle FC next month.

News of Mendes’ promotional debut was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Mendes signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC despite still being technically under contract with the UFC. Shortly after signing with BKFC, he praised the UFC for allowing him to continue this new chapter in his fight career.

Mendes is expected to face Joshuah Alvarez in a 155-pound bout on Feb. 19 in Hollywood, FL. BKFC has yet to make an official announcement of the booking and Mendes’ opponent for his debut.

Alvarez fell in his BKFC debut last November to Arthur Walcott-Ceesay.

Chad Mendes Makes His Fighting Return After Lengthy Absence

Mendes had a bit of a rocky exit from the UFC after losing multiple featherweight title shots. Following his loss to Frankie Edgar in late 2015, he was served with a two-year USADA suspension after an out-of-competition test found growth hormone in Mendes’ system.

Mendes would eventually return in July 2018 to earn a first-round knockout over Myles Jury. He would then go on to lose to current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 232.

After his loss to Volkanovski, Mendes announced his retirement from MMA. During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he announced his return to fighting in bare-knuckle, with an eventual return to MMA still on the table.

At 36 years old, Mendes still has the opportunity to fight at an elite level. He’ll look to silence the doubters next month in the BKFC ring.

How do you think Chad Mendes will do in bare knuckle?

Continue Reading Chad Mendes Set To Make Bare Knuckle Debut On Feb. 19 at MMA News.

[ARCHIVES] McGregor Continues To Steal The Show Before UFC 179

Conor McGregor is on his way to becoming the most entertaining fighter in MMA history.

Continue Reading [ARCHIVES] McGregor Continues To Steal The Show Before UFC 179 at MMA News.

[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

Here’s a look back to an editorial written about Conor McGregor in the middle of his rise to superstardom in 2014. The following piece was published seven years ago to this day and is presented to you in its original, unaltered form.

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 23, 2014, 11:30 PM]

How can anyone not love Conor McGregor?

Seriously?

“The Notorious” one has been providing entertainment all week long as we head into Saturday’s UFC 179 pay-per-view in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Jose Aldo defends his UFC Featherweight Championship in a rematch against Chad Mendes.

While Aldo and Mendes are the headliners this weekend, no one is making more headlines than Ireland’s finest.

Whether it’s Mendes claiming he wants to punch a hole through McGregor’s face, or Aldo calling him a “sh*t,” Conor McGregor is getting people’s attention.

Whether it’s Conor ranting on Twitter (which resulted in a likely January bout with Dennis Siver), or hijacking live television interviews and threatening to rest his balls on a certain Featherweight’s forehead, McGregor is the man in the spotlight.

Whether it’s calling Ben Askren a “pube head”, or stealing the show on UFC 179 Embedded, Conor McGregor cannot — and will not — be ignored.

Hell, today alone, McGregor posted two tweets that generated legitimate laughter from yours truly, as he touted “sipping fresh coconut on the beach in Rio” and then posted a photo of himself with who he called UFC’s “Head Of Operations,” Garry Cook, in the back of an “armored vehicle” while referring to himself as UFC’s “Head Of Removing Heads.”

Conor McGregor is truly a rock star.

No one was sadder than I when Chael P. Sonnen retired — but fear not — his Irish-counterpart has arrived …in style.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to “The Notorious era.” The best part? We’re just getting started!

Talk about this on our official FACEBOOK page, or on our official TWITTER page. You can also talk about it in our popular FORUMS.

Continue Reading [ARCHIVES] McGregor Continues To Steal The Show Before UFC 179 at MMA News.

Chad Mendes Shocked UFC Allowed BKFC Signing While Under Contract

Chad Mendes has praised the UFC for allowing him to sign with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship while still under contract with the promotion. Mendes, who is a former UFC title challenger, competed on MMA’s biggest stage from 2011 to 2018. D…

Chad Mendes has praised the UFC for allowing him to sign with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship while still under contract with the promotion. Mendes, who is a former UFC title challenger, competed on MMA’s biggest stage from 2011 to 2018. Despite falling short of UFC gold in fights against José Aldo and Conor McGregor, […]

Continue Reading Chad Mendes Shocked UFC Allowed BKFC Signing While Under Contract at MMA News.

Chad Mendes Is Returning To Fighting, Signs With BKFC

Chad Mendes is putting his retirement on hold to try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing. Former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes is looking to make a return to fighting. The 36-year-old had a great run in the UFC before deciding to hang up his gloves and …

Chad Mendes is putting his retirement on hold to try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing. Former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes is looking to make a return to fighting. The 36-year-old had a great run in the UFC before deciding to hang up his gloves and leave the sport. While he has been toying with […]

Continue Reading Chad Mendes Is Returning To Fighting, Signs With BKFC at MMA News.

Chad Mendes Returns From Retirement, Signs On With BKFC

Chad Mendes is returning to the combat sports world, but it won’t be in MMA. The Team Alpha Male staple broke the news on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience. He said that he’s excited to try something new and mix it up with the roster BKFC has put together (H/T MMA Junkie). […]

Chad Mendes is returning to the combat sports world, but it won’t be in MMA.

The Team Alpha Male staple broke the news on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience. He said that he’s excited to try something new and mix it up with the roster BKFC has put together (H/T MMA Junkie).

“I just signed a big contract – I’m coming back to fighting,” Mendes told Rogan. “But I’m not coming back to MMA. … I’m coming back to boxing. I want to try something different. I think we’re going to throw some bareknuckle in there, bro – just mix it up and get real crazy. This is something that’s kind of been in the works for probably a year now.”

MMA Junkie confirmed with an anonymous source that this is indeed “the most lucrative deal” Mendes has ever signed. The former featherweight contender still had fights left on his UFC contract when he retired, but apparently the promotion let him go in order to sign this new deal.

Mendes, who three times challenged for UFC featherweight gold, retired from the sport after a second round TKO defeat to Alexander Volkanovski in December 2018. Prior to that loss, he came back from a 2-year USADA suspension to stop Myles Jury in the first round. ”’Money’ left the sport with an 18-5 record, including 2 losses to Jose Aldo in championship matches, and a loss to Conor McGregor for the interim belt.

The now 36-year-old has kept himself busy outside of the cage, developing a guided fishing and hunting company called Finz and Featherz. However, the appeal of competing once again was obviously too tempting, as Mendes had posted a number of training videos in recent weeks teasing his return.

Mendes said that the organization is currently looking at an October 22 timeline for his debut. The event will apparently take place in Chandler, Arizona, and Mendes will compete at 155-pounds. An opponent has not yet been named.

How do you think Chad Mendes will fare in BKFC? Let us know!