Tag: Chad Mendes

The UFC Featherweight Ladder: Ranking the Division’s Worthiest Challengers


(Pictured above: Barry “Sarge” Walters, the schizophrenic UFC fan who can often be seen running onstage during weigh-ins. / Photo via Getty)

By Alex Giardini

Unlike some weight-classes we won’t mention, the UFC featherweight division is currently loaded with dangerous contenders, any of whom could be a serious title threat in the future. At UFC 163 (August 3rd, Rio de Janeiro), divisional ruler Jose Aldo defends his belt against fan-favorite “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and as long as an immediate rematch isn’t booked, there will be a feeding frenzy of 145-pounders trying to make their case as the true #1 contender. So who’s worthiest of the next title shot? Let’s put aside the phony UFC rankings and business-driven matchmaking and break down where each featherweight contender really stands in the pecking order.

Ricardo Lamas
(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Lamas is the obvious frontrunner to be next in line but why is he being overlooked? The fact that Jung got the title shot over Lamas after their UFC 162 bout was canceled raised a few eyebrows in itself. Lamas, who hasn’t lost in over a year and a half, has blazed through his opposition in the UFC including men on this very list, and despite demolishing a highly-regarded prospect in Erik Koch back in January, his immediate future is unknown. Lamas has a devastating striking game — including some flashy and dangerous kicks — which gives him the ability to end a fight at any moment. He also has a quality wrestling pedigree, alongside a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and his ground and pound is murderous; woe to anyone in the division who finds himself on the bottom of Lamas’s elbows and power strikes.

It’s relatively strange that Lamas was skipped in line for a title shot but maybe the UFC feels Aldo’s competition should come with a familiar face. Jung is no slouch, finishing all three opponents thus far in his UFC career, but Lamas also has an equally impressive track record in the company – undefeated in four bouts with previous stoppages over Cub Swanson, Matt Grice. The aforementioned brutalizing of Erik Koch was a major reason to include him in the mix, as Koch was a highly-touted prospect who was already paving his way to a title shot before he met “The Bully.” With Conor McGregor and Cub Swanson angling for fights with the Chicago-born fighter, his next move is up in the air, but maybe he’ll remain quiet until August 3rd to see how everything pans out.


(Pictured above: Barry “Sarge” Walters, the schizophrenic UFC fan who can often be seen running onstage during weigh-ins. / Photo via Getty)

By Alex Giardini

Unlike some weight-classes we won’t mention, the UFC featherweight division is currently loaded with dangerous contenders, any of whom could be a serious title threat in the future. At UFC 163 (August 3rd, Rio de Janeiro), divisional ruler Jose Aldo defends his belt against fan-favorite “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and as long as an immediate rematch isn’t booked, there will be a feeding frenzy of 145-pounders trying to make their case as the true #1 contender. So who’s worthiest of the next title shot? Let’s put aside the phony UFC rankings and business-driven matchmaking and break down where each featherweight contender really stands in the pecking order.

Ricardo Lamas

(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Lamas is the obvious frontrunner to be next in line but why is he being overlooked? The fact that Jung got the title shot over Lamas after their UFC 162 bout was canceled raised a few eyebrows in itself. Lamas, who hasn’t lost in over a year and a half, has blazed through his opposition in the UFC including men on this very list, and despite demolishing a highly-regarded prospect in Erik Koch back in January, his immediate future is unknown. Lamas has a devastating striking game — including some flashy and dangerous kicks — which gives him the ability to end a fight at any moment. He also has a quality wrestling pedigree, alongside a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and his ground and pound is murderous; woe to anyone in the division who finds himself on the bottom of Lamas’s elbows and power strikes.

It’s relatively strange that Lamas was skipped in line for a title shot but maybe the UFC feels Aldo’s competition should come with a familiar face. Jung is no slouch, finishing all three opponents thus far in his UFC career, but Lamas also has an equally impressive track record in the company – undefeated in four bouts with previous stoppages over Cub Swanson, Matt Grice. The aforementioned brutalizing of Erik Koch was a major reason to include him in the mix, as Koch was a highly-touted prospect who was already paving his way to a title shot before he met “The Bully.” With Conor McGregor and Cub Swanson angling for fights with the Chicago-born fighter, his next move is up in the air, but maybe he’ll remain quiet until August 3rd to see how everything pans out.

Frankie Edgar

(Photo via Getty Images)

Maybe because Edgar is used to razor-thin decisions, it was fitting that the New Jersey native pushed Aldo as far as anyone did thus far in the Brazilian’s championship tenure. Physically incapable of having a boring fight, Edgar’s pace was a bad matchup for Aldo in the championship rounds – he was able to take the champion down and didn’t look as exhausted as his counterpart. With his win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 162, Edgar looks posed to make a statement in the division, and it’s inevitable he will get another shot. His star power is unmatched for a non title-holder, and it would be a crime if Edgar is slotted anywhere under the co-main event for the rest of his career. Edgar’s drop to featherweight grants the division with an abundance of possibilities for his next bout – putting him against almost any other 145′er (especially the ones on this list) would create a compelling, main event-worthy fight.

Edgar’s gutsy first performance against “Scarface” has already earned him the right to a future rematch, and the thought of Edgar scrapping with Jung is salivating, to say the least. The dilemma that surrounds Edgar is that he may catch the ‘‘Urijah Faber title bug,’’ which means he constantly gets title shots no matter how the previous ones pan out. But Edgar was a champion not too long ago, and although Faber was the kingpin of the WEC in his time, Edgar was ranked as the top pound-for-pound fighter when he was the champion, not only due to his skill but his immeasurable heart — plus, he actually won some of those UFC title fights.

Since Edgar is currently 1-1 in the featherweight division, he’ll need another fight to climb back up the ladder. With a victory, he can leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s title-bound yet again.

Cub Swanson

(Photo via MMAFighting)

The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based featherweight has had an inspiring comeback in the UFC — after going 5-3 in the WEC, he lost his UFC debut against Ricardo Lamas but has summoned a storm in the division with five straight victories including stoppages over Ross Pearson, Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. Greg Jackson thinks Swanson did enough with his win two weeks ago to be granted the next title shot, and his dazzling displays of speed, intensity and work on the ground has proven he could hang with the best in the division. Swanson would like to get revenge from that bitter WEC 41 fight against Aldo back in 2009 when he got his eye socket obliterated by the current champion’s knees. He would be keen on showcasing his abilities against Aldo for real this time, since seven seconds was surely not enough.

Even if you’re a firm doubter of the MMA math, Swanson lost to three men in the past three years that are on this list — Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo — so it might be tough for the UFC brass to jump him ahead of any of those guys. But Swanson looks like a fighter reborn, and if it’s true that “everyone has a comeback,” Swanson’s previous efforts should not weigh so heavily on the possibility of a title fight. Out of six UFC appearances, he has earned two Knockout of the Night bonuses as well as a Fight of the Night honors two weeks ago. He could be the fan favorite for a title shot this very moment and if the UFC feels he has done enough to earn the shot, we’d have no problem with that.

Swanson’s name has been appearing besides the likes Ricardo Lamas, Frankie Edgar and the winner of Aldo/Jung when talking about his next fight. His recent track record has him at the forefront above anyone on this list in terms of accomplishments, but beating a fellow contender before a championship fight would really set his position in stone.

The winner of Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes at UFC 164

(Photo via MMAWeekly)

The self-proclaimed ”Big Lebowski addict” has always been an exciting fighter to watch, but Guida’s recent performances against Anthony Pettis and Hatsui Hioki were tedious displays of lay and pray, and have turned him from crowd-favorite to UFC villain. Minus the highly entertaining war he had with Benson Henderson, we’ve seen Guida borrow a play off Kalib Starnes’ clipboard against Gray Maynard in a main event snoozer last summer, and play it extremely safe during Anthony Pettis’s Octagon debut in mid-2011.

Guida is still a recognizable figure among fans and is extremely likable, but the notion of him never being in a boring fight is somewhat gone. He has been in the UFC since 2006, and his 10-7 record sums it up if you’re wondering why he has never earned a title shot.

Meanwhile, Chad Mendes’s capability to finish fights and his constant title aspirations could have him on the top of anyone’s list. Mendes had some good moments against Jose Aldo during their title fight at UFC 142, but the way “Scarface” ended the fight left no doubt in anyone’s mind. Still, it was a learning experience that was necessary for his career, and Mendes has bounced back a better fighter because of it.

Mendes’s immense frame is an undeniable advantage at featherweight, since he is one of the stronger competitors in the division. If there is one criticism about Mendes, it’s that his past three fights were mismatches – against Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza and Darren Elkins – even though that last one looked good on paper. Still, you can’t argue with the results: three first-round finishes in his last three fights, none of them exceeding two minutes.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea if the winner of this fight waited until beating one more opponent before they are thrown in the Octagon against the champion. That is unless one of them scores a spectacular knockout. Unfortunately, this fight has “decision” written all over it.

Nik Lentz

(Photo via Getty Images)

It’s safe to say that Lentz had some forgettable performances in his UFC career. (It’s pretty hard to remember fights that you slept through.) Lentz has been in the UFC for a little under four years now, facing some stiff competition from the likes of Evan Dunham, Charles Oliveira and Mark Bocek. Although he dropped a decision to Bocek, suffered a doctor’s stoppage TKO against Dunham, and was illegally kneed in the head by Oliveira, which turned that original loss into a no contest, Lentz had won Fight of The Night honors for two of those fights and is currently riding a three-fight win streak. Lentz’s comfort with his striking game is increasing, and he’s slowly losing his reputation as the boring wrestler who grinds you against the cage for fifteen minutes. He has the style and will to have a good fight with almost anyone in the division. In terms of his popularity, that’s what needs work — in twelve fights, he’s never appeared on the main card…not even once. His fights have been televised, but it’s the boring ones really stuck out — his stinker with Andre Winner could have been the worst televised fight in the world since William Shatner against a demonic Ninja Turtle. But if Lentz can sneak onto a main card fight and secure another finish, that could have the UFC brass (and the fans) finally considering him as a worthy challenger.

Final Analysis…

The only reasonable decision that could be made is if Lamas gets a title shot against the winner of Aldo vs. “Zombie.” The lack of attention being paid to him as of late in terms of getting recognition and another fight is odd, but perhaps the UFC already has him penciled in to be the next challenger.

Edgar and Swanson should trade blows, not only because it would be one hell of an exciting clash, but it would also facilitate the next steps at the top of the division — have the winners of those respective fights meet, and why not have the losers meet as well? Either way, the UFC’s business model will probably decide this for us, and although they have let us down before, any of these three men would be worth considering. The champion has already beaten three out of these six men (ironically, those three men would probably be the managerial and fan favorites for Aldo’s hypothetical next title defense) but if Jung walks away with the upset in Rio de Janeiro in convincing fashion, the division is blown wide open with numerous possibilities. Whether or not Aldo retains his title or “Zombie” shocks the world, there won’t be boring or unimpressive matchmaking when it comes to title bouts for quite a while at one-forty-five.

Chad Mendes Meets Clay Guida at UFC 164 in Milwaukee

If at first you don’t succeed, the UFC will try to book the fight again. Featherweights Chad Mendes and Clay Guida will finally meet this August as part of the upcoming UFC 164 card from Milwaukee after their original bout at UFC on Fox 7 had to be scr…

If at first you don’t succeed, the UFC will try to book the fight again.

Featherweights Chad Mendes and Clay Guida will finally meet this August as part of the upcoming UFC 164 card from Milwaukee after their original bout at UFC on Fox 7 had to be scrapped.

Guida suffered a training injury at the time, and it forced him to the sidelines where he sat waiting until this week when the UFC gave him the chance to return to action against the exact same opponent he was supposed to face the last time.

UFC officials announced the pairing on Tuesday.

The fight at UFC 164 will be Guida‘s second at 145 pounds after the Chicago native spent most of his MMA career fighting in the lightweight division.  In his first bout at featherweight, Guida upset former title contender Hatsu Hioki by split decision in a closely contested bout.

Right from the frying pan and into the fire for Guida, who will get another step up in competition for his next trip to the Octagon when he faces another top featherweight at UFC 164.

Since losing his bid to become UFC featherweight champion in 2011, Chad Mendes has been an absolute wrecking machine, as he’s bowled through every fighter he’s faced in his last three bouts.

Mendes has not only won his last three fights in a row, but he’s done so by finishing all of his fights inside of two minutes of the first round.

In his last bout where he was supposed to face Guida, Mendes instead drew late-notice replacement Darren Elkins.  Mendes blasted the Indiana native with punches, finishing the fight at just over one minute into the round.

Now Mendes faces another top challenger with Guida standing in his way at UFC 164 in Milwaukee.

The upcoming UFC 164 card will be part of the Harley-Davidson Hometown Throwdown event as part of the Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary being held in Milwaukee that weekend. 

No main event has been named for the event yet, but it’s expected that UFC officials will look to make an announcement in the coming days with tickets going on sale soon.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rumor: Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida Being Rebooked, Possibly for UFC 164


(Guida engages the UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson audience in the ancient Native American dance known as the “Iwannanothadrinka.” Photo via Combat Lifestyle.)

We’ve thrown the word “curse” around a lot here at CagePotato in the past year or so (as in “injury curse,” “cursed from birth,” and “curse you Dana for setting this up!”), but featherweight contender Chad Mendes is one of the few fighters who might actually be able to stake a claim to that title. In his past three scheduled fights, all of his original opponents have pulled out due to a last minute injury, leaving Mendes to face off against late replacement opponents on two occasions and cancelling his fight altogether in the third. Then again, any curse that ends in you collecting two quick knockouts and upwards of eighty thousand dollars is a hell of a lot better than the festering boils and dead first born I’ve been stuck with.

Anyway, the last man to pull out of a fight with Mendes was none other than recently-converted featherweight Clay “N-Pray” [*rimshot*] Guida, who was replaced by Darren Elkins just as quickly as Darren Elkins was defeated by Chad Mendes when the two eventually met at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz. According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC is considering rebooking Mendes vs. Guida for the August 31st-scheduled UFC 164 card, which will also feature the beginning of Brandon Vera’s second attempt to become the UFC’s first two-division champ when he returns to the heavyweight division to face…Ben Rothwell. Baby steps, folks.


(Guida engages the UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson audience in the ancient Native American dance known as the “Iwannanothadrinka.” Photo via Combat Lifestyle.)

We’ve thrown the word “curse” around a lot here at CagePotato in the past year or so (as in “injury curse,” “cursed from birth,” and “curse you Dana for setting this up!”), but featherweight contender Chad Mendes is one of the few fighters who might actually be able to stake a claim to that title. In his past three scheduled fights, all of his original opponents have pulled out due to a last minute injury, leaving Mendes to face off against late replacement opponents on two occasions and cancelling his fight altogether in the third. Then again, any curse that ends in you collecting two quick knockouts and upwards of eighty thousand dollars is a hell of a lot better than the festering boils and dead first born I’ve been stuck with.

Anyway, the last man to pull out of a fight with Mendes was none other than recently-converted featherweight Clay “N-Pray” [*rimshot*] Guida, who was replaced by Darren Elkins just as quickly as Darren Elkins was defeated by Chad Mendes when the two eventually met at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz. According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC is considering rebooking Mendes vs. Guida for the August 31st-scheduled UFC 164 card, which will also feature the beginning of Brandon Vera’s second attempt to become the UFC’s first two-division champ when he returns to the heavyweight division to face…Ben Rothwell. Baby steps, folks.

Although the booking “isn’t 100% yet,” it’s hard to deny that this fight makes just as much sense as it did previously, if not more. Mendes wiped the floor with Elkins — who was on an impressive five-fight streak of his own — in his last contest, and Guida is on the heels of a featherweight debut victory over the highly-ranked Hatsu Hioki. An impressive victory for either man could put them in a prime position for a shot at Jose Aldo (or in Mendes’ case, another lesson in humility shot).

Then again, who knows what the fuck the state of the featherweight division will be after Anthony Pettis fights Aldo at UFC 163. We could be left with a new featherweight champion who has no interest remaining at featherweight, the “old” featherweight champion who now has his sights set on fighting the lightweight champion, or a fight that ends in controversy so we can start this whole thing over again. In any case, we’re pretty sure the winner of the Ricardo Lamas/Chan Sung Jung fight will be getting royally screwed over. Again.

–J. Jones

Matt Brown and Team Alpha Male: Real Improvement?

UFC on Fox 7 provided a great night of entertainment from top to bottom and reportedly tied the record for most knockouts on a single UFC card. Looking through there were many moments from the main card that deserve talking about – from the closely fou…

UFC on Fox 7 provided a great night of entertainment from top to bottom and reportedly tied the record for most knockouts on a single UFC card. Looking through there were many moments from the main card that deserve talking about – from the closely fought title bout, to Josh Thompson’s knockout of Nate Diaz, to Daniel Cormier‘s dirty boxing clinic – but also a few from the undercard which deserve a look.

This piece will focus on the successes of the Team Alpha Male fighters and of Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown. 

My second piece on UFC on Fox 7 can be found here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1613106-ufc-on-fox-7-breakdown-the-wheels-fall-off-the-diaz-wagon

Team Alpha Male – 3 Fights, 3 Knockouts

The talk of the early event was the improvement of the Team Alpha Male fighters under the striking tutelage of Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig. While each of the Team Alpha Male fighters on the card put on a show, I feel it might be a little premature to declare huge improvement in each. Jabs were still almost completely absent in the TAM fighters and they mostly opted instead to swing right hands over and over as their figurehead, Urijah Faber, does to the point of being predictable. 

T.J. Dillashaw looked largely disciplined as he caught his lingering opponent with the type of right straight counter which Ludwig has practiced and stressed throughout his career (not to mention picking up the fastest knockout in UFC history with).

Joseph Benavidez, meanwhile, walked Darren Uyenoyama down, swinging wild with slapping rights and lefts but punctuating his performance with sharp kicks. Benavidez‘s boxing looked somewhat sloppy as he ran in behind his face with his hands low over and over again, but through switching stances he was able to confuse Uyenoyama and eventually land a good left hook to the body which slumped Darren to the mat. Benavidez has far more strike variety than Faber or Mendes, but his lunging in behind his face could get him into trouble against elite fighters.

Ultimately both Dillashaw and Benavidez benefited enormously from the inexperience of their opponents on their feet but put forth entertaining performances over decent fighters. 

Chad Mendes gave by far the most intimidating showing as he came out and used the traditional Team Alpha Male strategy of eschewing straight punches in favor of looking to land a right hook from wherever he could.

Whether it be off a parried jab, a slip or immediately after a first right hook. Mendes was able to stun his opponent by running forward with a right straight to right hook, and finished by slipping inside a desperate jab and landing a perfect cross counter.

Those of you who have read my pieces before will know how highly I rate the cross counter as a strike – and it’s long history of knockouts will certainly testify to that belief. 

While the complete absence of jabs from most performances by TAM fighters is actually a sensible move – they are wrestlers who are looking to close the distance after all, not strikers looking to maintain the distance – it is really the absence of much left handed offense at all which lets the TAM fighters down. It is simply so predictable at the highest level what they are going to do, and this is largely responsible for Urijah Faber’s getting ground down and shown up at range in all of his recent title fights.

Matt Brown Continues his Career Resurgence

I want to get it out of the way before I begin – Matt Brown is not a hugely technically-gifted fighter and at this stage in his career I am sure that the holes in his game are going to be slower or almost impossible to tighten up – but ‘The Immortal’ has a gift for violence which has to be respected. 

Some men can be taught to throw fundamental strikes with all the snap and venom of a great puncher, but they still have to be told what to do when they are getting in the cage. Brown is very good at simply making it up as he goes along.

The first thing that deserves praise from that bout is Jordan Mein‘s hand trap elbow. A lovely technique, Brown actually used this same method to eliminate Mike Swick‘s highly regarded hands and stun him with an elbow.

What Brown did so well was something which Nate Diaz utterly failed to do in his bout with Josh Thompson later in the card – cut off the cage and punish the opponent when he tried to escape. 

It is not enough to go straight at someone when their back is on the fence in MMA – they can circle out, they can tie you up or they can take you down. Far better to give them just enough space that they can’t move back but feel the need to run out to the side. 

Matt Brown showed excellent fight IQ by refusing to stall against the fence but instead letting Mein pick his poison. As Mein ran out to Brown’s left he was met by a left hook (the same one that knocked out the running Mike Swick), and as he went to Brown’s right Mein was met by a right hand or a right roundhouse kick. 

It may seem basic but getting an opponent to run on to your strikes is one of the most important principles of an offensive striking game, and Matt Brown has shown it better than many of the best strikers in MMA have been able to when they are giving chase.

A final, beautiful facet of Brown’s performance was his finish. As his opponent was turtled, Brown popped up to his feet (it is becoming much more common to attack the turtle from standing with knees) but as Mein shielded his sides, Brown instead connected a brutal elbow strike to the temple. Brown followed up with elbows to the back of the ribs and kidneys to finish.

Reviewing that fight I hope you will understand what I meant by Brown having a gift for creativity in his violence. There are far, far better strikers and fighters out there who wouldn’t be as savvy or ruthless in their finish as Brown was.

Jack Slack breaks down over 70 striking tactics employed by 20 elite strikers in his first ebook, Advanced Striking, and discusses the fundamentals of strategy in his new ebook, Elementary Striking.

Jack can be found on Twitter, Facebook and at his blog: Fights Gone By.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 7: The Good, Bad and Awesome

Benson Henderson is going to slip out of San Jose with his hardware intact—but just barely.The UFC lightweight champion made his third successful title defense when he edged out the last man to hold the Strikeforce 155-pound strap—Gilbert M…

Benson Henderson is going to slip out of San Jose with his hardware intact—but just barely.

The UFC lightweight champion made his third successful title defense when he edged out the last man to hold the Strikeforce 155-pound strap—Gilbert Melendez in a split decision in the main event of UFC on Fox 7.

It was a back-and-forth affair over the course of the five-round scrap as both men had their share of high points. Throughout the fight, neither man was able to gain a definitive advantage over the other, but when it came to the judge’s score cards, “Bendo” earned the the razor-thin nod.

The headlining bout was the icing on the cake to what ended up being a dynamite card from top to bottom. From the first fight to the last, the event delivered action-packed dust-ups and brutal knockouts at every turn. 

Here’s a look at the highs, lows and general awesomeness that went down in San Jose.

 

The Good

In a night filled with positive turns, Team Alpha Male can lay claim to several of them. The Sacramento-based camp walked out of the HP Pavilion going a perfect 3-0, with each victory coming by way of an impressive finish.

The Ultimate Fighter alum and bantamweight prospect T.J. Dillashaw set the tone for his teammates when he scored a first-round TKO over Hugo Viana. The 27-year-old stepped up to face the TUF Brazil alum on short notice when Francisco Rivera dropped out due to injury, and in the process, picked up his second victory in five weeks.

Dillashaw’s win at UFC on Fox 7 makes it three straight for the former Season 14 TUF finalist and will put him in an interesting position in the bantamweight division.

With the 135-pound weight class being relatively thin, it seems possible the UFC could fast track Dillashaw and putting him in with a top 10-ranked opponent in his next outing. At the same time, it would also be well within the realm of understanding if the promotion chose to give Dillashaw at least one more mid-range fight before pushing him into deeper waters.

Joseph Benavidez notched the next victory on the night for the squad as he dominated Darren Uyenoyama from pillar to post in their bout on the FX portion of the card.

The former No. 1 flyweight contender clearly proved he’s regained the position as Benavidez made Uyenoyama look as if he had no business sharing a cage in San Jose. The 28-year-old flexed his constantly improving striking skills as he battered the veteran at will, finally finishing him off with a devastating liver shot in the second round.

Benavidez will leave San Jose with back-to-back victories, and it will most likely earn “Jobe” another shot at Demetrius Johnson’s flyweight title.

Running anchor for Team Alpha Male at UFC on Fox 7 was former No. 1 contender to the featherweight crown Chad Mendes. “Money” had added pressure riding on his bout with Darren Elkins as the race for the top of the 145-pound weight class has heated up over the past year. This created a position where Mendes could ill-afford a step back, and the 27-year-old answered the challenge with vigor.

Despite being originally slated to face Clay Guida, the former All-American wrestler handled the change of opponent with ease. Elkins came into the bout on a five-fight win streak, but Mendes salted the Indiana-native in 68 seconds to keep his title hopes alive.

The victory makes it three in a row for Mendes—all first-round finishes—and makes a solid case for him to face the winner of Jose Aldo versus Anthony Pettis at the end of the year.

It would be difficult to discuss Team Alpha Male’s recent success without mentioning newly added striking coach Duane Ludwig. “Bang’s” presence in Sacramento is showing through in a major way as the notoriously wrestle-heavy camp has been on a solid run as of late. Prior to the trifecta in San Jose, both Danny Castillo and Urijah Faber looked excellent in their most recent showings as well. 

If this camp evolves to become monsters in the striking department, it could be hard times for the rest of the fighters in the lighter weight classes.

The welterweight division added a new member to their upper-tier when Matt Brown defeated Jordan Mein to kick off the action on the Fox portion of the card. “The Immortal” and the talented young Canadian put on one of the night’s most exciting fights as they traded punches, knees and kicks at a hectic pace. 

A frenzied first round saw both fighters buckle, but Brown ultimately proved to be the most durable as he scored the second-round stoppage victory. The win makes it five straight for the Ohio-based fighter and will certainly warrant his next opponent being one of the elite fighters in the weight class.

Another highlight on a night filled with impressive moments came from veteran Josh Thomson.

The former Strikeforce lightweight champion made his long-awaited return to the Octagon in brilliant fashion as he scored a TKO victory over former No. 1 contender Nate Diaz. “The Punk” launched himself into the 155-pound title picture by defeating the younger Diaz, and it will be interesting to see who the UFC will give him next. 

The winner of Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons or Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy both make sense, but with Thomson besting the fourth-ranked Diaz, those moves could be considered taking a step backward.

 

The Bad

On a card with so many good moments, there were very few entries into this category. The most prominent situation which comes to mind is where Nate Diaz stands in his career.

Four months back, the Stocktonian was stepping in to fight Benson Henderson for the lightweight title, but after the loss to Thomson at UFC on Fox 7, the former TUF winner is floating in limbo.

The 28-year-old, this week, according to Dann Stupp and John Morgan of MMA Junkie.com, said that he was pondering a return to the welterweight division following his bout with Thomson. Considering how Diaz left the division after being rag dolled by a much stronger Rory MacDonald, returning to the weight class doesn’t seem to make much sense.

Diaz has experienced much more success competing in the lightweight division. That being said, after losing to the AKA staple in San Jose, Diaz’s position in the 155-weight class is a bit difficult to pinpoint.

Suffering back-to-back losses against the top fighters in the world is nothing to shake a stick at, but in the ultra-competitive realms of the welterweight and lightweight divisions, Diaz’s backslide puts him in a difficult situation.

Should Diaz decide to stay at 155 pounds, he is more than capable of battling his way back up the ladder toward another title shot. On the other hand, if he does make the jump back to the wrestler-infested waters of the welterweight division, that journey would become all the more difficult.

The only other entry into this category that comes to mind is Frank Mir.

Despite coming into his fight with Daniel Cormier in peak physical shape, the former two-time champion simply didn’t have an answer for anything the AKA-trained fighter brought to the table. The Las Vegas native was bullied around the cage for the entire fight, as the former Olympian swept the judge’s scorecards for a unanimous decision victory.

While Mir looked solid at moments during the fight, the bigger question is how he responds to being pushed out of the divisional upper tier.

For the first time in his career, Mir has dropped back-to-back outings, and the loss to Cormier comes at a time when the heavyweight division is getting deeper. Since 2007, Mir has never been more than one or two wins away from earning another title opportunity, and those conditions change with his loss in San Jose.

At 33 years old, Mir still has time to make another run to the top of the weight class. But after suffering a loss where so much emphasis was put on his reinvigoration and career-altering adjustments, the question of how much he has left will certainly hover.

 

The Awesome

In recent weeks, this category has been dedicated to the strange happenings which occur at mixed martial arts events, due to the amount of knockouts and brutal dustings at UFC on Fox 7. I am dedicating this space to the awesomeness in San Jose. Out of the 12 fights on the card, eight came via referee stoppage—with the majority of said stoppages coming in stunning fashion.

The card fired off the launch pad as Yoel Romero starched Clifford Starks with a flying-knee KO in the first fight of the evening. 

In the next tilt, Anthony Njokuani raised the bar a bit higher when he cut Roger Bowling’s lights out with a sharp counter-left that put the Ohio-based fighter face down on the canvas.

The rest of the card featured fantastic displays of violence from Dillashaw, Benavidez, Mendes, Brown and Thomson, but perhaps the best of the night came from Myles Jury.

After a tactical first round that saw the lightweight prospect locked in a tactical grappling battle with opponent Ramsey Nijem, “The Fury” connected with a devastating right hand just as Nijem was charging that left the John Hackelman-trained fighter with blank eyes staring up at the arena lights.

The shot connected, and Nijem crumbled to the canvas with knockout auto-response “robot arms” rising into the air. 

 

The bodies were dropping left and right at UFC on Fox 7, but the knockout chaos made it one of the most memorable cards in recent years. 

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UFC on Fox 7 Results: What We Learned from Chad Mendes vs. Darren Elkins

Former UFC featherweight top contender Chad Mendes blasted his way through Darren Elkins in the final preliminary card bout from UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose Saturday, taking another step toward Jose Aldo and featherweight gold.Here’s what we learned …

Former UFC featherweight top contender Chad Mendes blasted his way through Darren Elkins in the final preliminary card bout from UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose Saturday, taking another step toward Jose Aldo and featherweight gold.

Here’s what we learned from the fight.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight

This fight should be remembered as the fight that earned Mendes his second shot at Jose Aldo. It also should serve as a clear reminder to the division that this wrestler has some vicious power in his hands. 

 

What we learned about Chad Mendes

Honestly, we didn’t learn much. Mendes has already displayed his strong wrestling base, his vicious striking power and his ability to defeat anyone the UFC pits against him.

Well, almost anyone.

Mendes‘ lone career loss came against featherweight champ Jose Aldo back in January 2012. The Team Alpha Male product is 3-0 since.

From his UFC on Fox 7 performance, we know he is better than the vast majority of the division. We also know he should fight for a title in his next bout. What we don’t know is whether or not he has enough to top Aldo or Anthony Pettis—whoever should walk away with the title this August. 

 

What we learned about Darren Elkins

Elkins took a big leap up in competition, and it didn’t pay off. 

According to the UFC rankings, Mendes is the best featherweight not named Jose Aldo. Elkins? Well, his name doesn’t even crack the top 10. The only conclusion: Elkins was simply not ready for such a big fight. 

But hope is not lost for the Indiana native. He is 5-1 in his last six fights and still has potential. Also, he was a late replacement for this fight, for what it’s worth. We now know he should simply be fighting featherweights in the bottom half of the top 10, as opposed to the one sitting at the top of the contender mountain. 

 

What’s next for Mendes

Jose Aldo. Mendes has wrecked the last three men to stand against him in the cage, and he surely thinks he can put Aldo away. However, Aldo is currently set to face Pettis this August. 

With Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira and Chan Sung Jung vs. Ricardo Lamas booked, the only sensible next step for Mendes is a fight against the winner of Aldo vs. Pettis.

 

What’s next for Elkins

As stated before, hope is not lost for Elkins. He lost to one of the division’s best and a win against a solid featherweight puts him back on track. 

A bout against Clay Guida would be an interesting fight for Elkins, as would a match up with Erik Koch. 

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