Team Alpha Male has had some ups & downs in the last few weeks with Urijah Faber’s latest failed attempt at a UFC title shot and Cody Garbrandt’s emergence as a contender providing the rollercoaster effect.
Friday night, that coaster took a dip as the UFC announced that featherweight contender Chad Mendes may have violated USADA’s anti-doping policies:
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Chad Mendes of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection. USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
The 31-year-old Mendes (17-4) has been on the shelf since getting knocked out cold by Frankie Edgar back in December 2015, his second straight loss by T/KO (Conor McGregor). A two-time challenger for the UFC’s featherweight crown, he’s been out of the spotlight since that last defeat as he’s lost two of his last three.
Mendes is a former second place finisher in the NCAA championships in wrestling.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale: Edgar vs. Mendes from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a big fight in the UFC’s featherweight division as former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar takes on former title challenger Chad Mendes in a bout that could determine the next title challenger at 145 pounds. In the co-main event, it is the finals of this season of “TUF” as Artem Lobov takes on Ryan Hall. Also on the card is a pivotal lightweight bout as Tony Ferguson puts his six-fight win streak on the line against Edson Barboza. Follow along with our live coverage beginning at 8 PM eastern time with the preliminary card bouts before heading to the main card at 10 PM eastern time.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- CHRIS GRUETZEMACHER (12-1, 0-0 UFC) VS. ABNER LLOVERAS (19-7-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hard body kicks back and forth. Lloveras landed a right. Chris moved in and went for an elbow. Chris moved into the clinch. Knee by Lloveras. Hard body kick by Lloveras. Another hard body kick by Lloveras. Body kick by Lloveras. Chris landed punches and a low kick. Another hard body kick by Lloveras. They traded knees. Takedown by Lloveras. Chris up. Lloveras has him back down. Lloveras 10-9.
Second round: Trading kicks. Chris landed some punches a low kick and more punches. Lloveras got behind him working for a choke but Chris shook him off. Chris is bleeding from the mouth. Low kick by Chris. Lloveras with a right. Low kick by Lloveras. Lloveas with a hard snapping body kick. Close round. Lloveras 20-18.
Third round: Lloveras took him down right away and got his back. Chris got up and slammed him. Chris now throwing more. Body kick by Lloveras. Chris throwing knees to the thigh. Lloveras trying for a takedown and got it. Lloveras landed a right. Chris with a low kick. Loveras back with a low kick. Another close round. Lloveras 30-27.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 for Gruetezmacher. Rounds two and three were close, surprised but not shocked.
First round: Knee by Herrera. Sanchez dancing. High kick by Herrera. Spin kick by Sanchez but Herrera used it to take him down. Herrera 10-9 close.
Second round: Herrera landed a right. Another hard right by Herrera. Nice right by Sanchez. Sanchez with a body shot. Both started opening up. Herrera cut Sanchez near the left eye. Sanches landing a ton of shots. Knees by Herrera. Herrera tried a flying knee but didn’t land. Good uppercut by Sanchez. Herrera dropped him with a left hook and finished him with a few punches on the ground.
WELTERWEIGHTS- RYAN LAFLARE (11-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. MIKE PIERCE (17-6, 9-4 UFC)
First round: Body kick by LaFlare. Another body kick. Right by LaFlare. Pierce with a high kick. Pierce moved in to try a takedown. LaFlare threw a kick and Pierce is trying to take him down after catching the leg. Pierce tried a high kick but LaFlare grabbed the leg and threw him down as the round ended. 10-9 LaFlare.
Second round: LaFlare with a body kick. Another body kick by LaFlare. Low kick by LaFlare. Body kick by LaFlare. Another body kick by LaFlare. Left by LaFlare. Piece moved in for a takedown attempt. LaFlare blocked the takedown. Body kick by LaFlare. LaFlare with a body kick. Pierce landed a right. LaFlare 20-18.
Third round: Pierce with an elbow. Body kick by LaFlare. Pierce landed some punches. Pierce bleeding from the nose. LaFlare landed a left. Another left, almost a Superman punch by LaFlare. Body kick by LaFlare. LaFlare with a body kick. Left by LaFlare while both missed punches. Hard body kick by LaFlare. Pierce unloading with punches and knees. He landed big left. Great finish. Pierce could take this round with the late flurry, but LaFlare dominated most of the round. 30-27 LaFlare.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for LaFlare. Some loud boos but LaFlare clearly won the fight.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- GABRIEL GONZAGA (16-10, 11-9 UFC) VS. KONSTANTIN EROKHIN (9-2, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Crowd booing as nothing is happening. Gonzaga threw a punch about 2:45 into the round. Then he went for a takedown that was blocked. Right and left by Erokhin. Gonzaga with a body kick . Gonzaga took him down at the end of the round. 10-9 Gonzaga.
Second round: Gonzaga landed a right. Crowd booing again. And nothing is happening again. This is a seriously horrible round. Gonzaga threw a high kick at 3:20. He didn’t land it, though. Body kick by Gonzaga. Gonzaga almost got a takedown. Knee by Gonzaga from close range. 20-18 Gonzaga.
Third round: Gonzaga took him down to start the round. Gonzaga landed punches from the top. Erokhim scrambled up with about 1:40 left in the round. This fight seriously sucks. Crowd booing as nothing is happening again. Crowd booing loud now that the fight is over. 30-27 Gonzaga.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-28 for Gonzaga. Crowd booed he decision. They’d have booed it no matter who won.
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JULIAN EROSA (14-2, 0-0 UFC) VS. MARCIN WRZOSEK (10-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Already more action than in the last fight. Wrzosek hurt him with a punch. Big right by Wrzosek. They are in a clinch against the fence. Erosa has a guillotine but it‘s not tight. Now Erosa is working for a D’arce choke. He gave up on it. Wrzosek 10-9.
Second round: Wrzosek hurt him with a right which almost spun him around. Elbow by Erosa. Wrzosek with a takedown. Wrzosek with another takedown. Wrzosek 20-18.
Third round: Erosa with a takedown. Erosa with another takedown. Crowd is way behind Erosa. He’s trying a choke but doesn’t have it. Wrzosek landed punches late in the round. Erosa’s round so I’ve got 29-28 for Wrzosek.
Scores: 29-28 Wrzosek 29-28 Erosa 29-28 Erosa. A lot of people booing that decision.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#13) TATSUYA KAWAJIRI (34-8-2, 2-1 UFC) VS. JASON KNIGHT (15-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Takedown by Kawajiri right away. Knight working for a triangle. He’s throwing elbows to Kawajiri’s head. Kawajiri escaped. Kawajiir was using the trunks for a cradle. Kawajiri did enough from the top that Knight is all bloody. Knight has two nice sized cuts, one near left eye and one in the forehead. 10-9 Kawajiri.
Second round: Kawajiri took him right down again. This fight is really boring. Nothing like the Gonzaga fight. But it’s quiet enough here that the most noise is an argument about whether Tyson Fury’s promos are a work. Which, by the way, they are. John McCarthy ordered a stand up. So Kawajiri just took him down again. And he kept him there the entire round. Somebody let Crusher know there isn’t a worst fight bonus. 20-18 Kawajiri.
Third round: Spin kick to the body by Kawajiri Another kick to the body. Knight tried a kick and Kawajiri used it to take him down. Another takedown by Kawajiri. John McCarthy had enough and ordered a standup. They traded punches and Kawajri got him down again. Kawajiri 30-27. No other score possible.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Kawajiri
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JOE LAUZON (25-10, 12-7 UFC) VS. EVAN DUNHAM (16-6, 9-6 UFC)
First round: Dunham landed several punches. Lauzon landed a nice left. Dunham landing all kinds of punches including a good uppercut. Now Lauzon back. Trading knees. Crowd is super dead though. Lauzon almost got a takedown. Dunham took him down as the round ended. 10-9 Dunham.
Second round: Dunham with a body kick. Nice low kick by Lauzon. Front kck by Dunham but Lauzon back with a punch. Dunham with punches and knees. Dunahm bleeding from the right eye. Dunham 20-18.
Third round: Dunham in with punches. Punches and low kicks by Dunham. Dunham with a body kick and punches. Nice right by Dunham. More punches by Dunham. More punches and finishing with a low kick by Dunham. Punches and a high kick by Dunham. This was a very different Lauzon tonight. Sad to see. 30-27 Dunham, has to be that score.
Scores: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-26 for Dunham
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#6) EDSON BARBOZA (16-3, 10-3 UFC) VS. (#7) TONY FERGUSON (19-3, 9-1 UFC)
First round: Both out fast. Barboza landing. Ferguson dove in looking for a heel hook. Both guys on the ground throwing punches. Ferguson kicked him hard in the head on the ground which is so illegal. John McCarthy is pissed. McCarthy called in the doctor. He said Barboza was okay. McCarthy took a point away from Ferguson. He really had to. Both trading punches. Hard kick by Barboza. Nice body shot by Ferguson. Had left by Barboza. Ferguson dove in again looking for something. Barboza with a takedown off a kick. Barboza nailed him with a punch and spin kick. Ferguson landed a big shot. Ferguson again diving for an ankle. Spin kick to the body by Barboza. Hard kick by Barboza. Spin kick to the calf by Barboza. Huge ovation for both. More action than the rest of the show put together. 10-8 Barboza due to the foul point.
Second round: Barboza landed a right. Hard kick by Barboza. Trading low kicks. Hard right by Barboza. Ferguson bleeding from the left eye. Barboza bleeding form the right eye. Barboza took him down with a leg sweep. Barboza bleeding like crazy. Barboza missed a crazy spin kick. Ferguson with a side kick. Barboza went for a takedown. Ferguson sprawled and is working on a D’arce choke and Barboza tapped. Super fight. 2:54
TUF 22 LIGHTWEIGHT FINALS- ARTEM LOBOV (11-10-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. RYAN HALL (4-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hall immediately going for a leglock. He moved to a choke. But he didn’t have it. Crowd went crazy at Lobov getting out of it. USA chants. Hall has him in a body triangle. Loud USA chant. He’s back to looking for the choke. Hall 10-9.
Second round: Lobov dropped him with a punch. Hall went low for a leglock but Lobov got away. Hall pulled guard. Hall went for a leg lock but Lobov got up. Hall tried to get him down again. Hall shot in but Lobov is on top. Hall again going for a leglock. It will be interesting how this round is scored. Hall was on his back, but except or he early punch, he had the key offense. 20-18 Hall.
Third round: Hall dropped and looking for a leglock again. He’s also punching form his back. Loov go away. Hall took him down. Hall pulled him down. Lobov up and Hall jumped on his back. He locked him up in a body triangle. Hall is staying behind him in the piggy back position. Hall 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 for Hall
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#2) FRANKIE EDGAR (19-4-1, 13-4-1 UFC) VS. (#3) CHAD MENDES (17-3, 8-3 UFC)
First round: Mendes is smaller then before. Hard low kick by Mendes. Edgar landed a right. Hard low kick by Mendes. Uppercut by Mendes. Edgar with a combo. Another hard low kick by Mendes. Both swinging. Edgar dropped him with a left hook and Mendes face planted and it’s over.
It is night number two of UFC action in the biggest UFC fight week in history in Las Vegas. Friday night brings the next edition of the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter”. It will be The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale taking place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will air on FS1 as preliminary card action takes place at 8 PM eastern time leading into the main card at 10 PM eastern time.
The event will be headlined by a five-round bout in the featherweight division in what could be the fight of the weekend as former UFC Lightweight Champion and former featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar takes on former title challenger Chad Mendes. In the finals of TUF 22, it will be Team McGregor’s Artem Lobov taking on Team Faber’s Ryan Hall. Also on the card is an elite lightweight bout as Edson Barboza looks for his second straight win when he takes on Tony Ferguson, winner of six straight fights. Let’s take a closer look at the action and bring you five storylines to keep an eye on during The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on Friday night.
1. Will Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes have the best fight of the week?
The main event of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale is a featherweight bout that could end up being the best fight of the weekend when former featherweight title challengers Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes meet in a high-level contest that could produce the next title challenger. Edgar is a former champion at 155 pounds who has moved down to 145 pounds. He has fought for the title once at featherweight, dropping a decision to Jose Aldo, but he has since won four straight fights. Mendes has fought for the gold three times, coming up short each time. He has two losses to Aldo, one by knockout and one by decision in one of the best fights of 2014, and a loss in an interim title fight to Conor McGregor at UFC 189 in July. These two are clearly two of the top four fighters in the division alongside Aldo and McGregor, and this is a fight that fans have been looking forward to happening ever since Edgar made the move down.
We have two very similar fighters as both have excellent wrestling credentials and solid striking abilities. Mendes is a better pure wrestler though Edgar may have the better wrestling MMA-wise. Both men are explosive with takedowns. When it comes to the striking, Edgar has some of the best pure boxing in the sport. Mendes is a power puncher and his striking got better while Duane Ludwig was coaching Team Alpha Male. He has better movement on his feet than in the past, but Edgar’s footwork is elite. Edgar has underrated power in his hands, and his kicks are fast and clean. The biggest thing Edgar does is he can leave himself open just enough to get hit, and if Mendes lands a clean right hand, we could see Edgar go into retreat mode like he did in his fights against Gray Maynard.
The thing about those bouts with Maynard was that it showed Edgar come overcome adversity in a fight. Mendes may be the featherweight Maynard to Edgar. Mendes will likely be the one to initiate the takedowns but getting Edgar down will be challenging, and keeping him there will be tougher. Both men have the conditioning to go 25 minutes and have, but Edgar’s gas tank is on another level in MMA. He is arguably the best conditioned fighter in the sport. That may be the key in this bout. Mendes has solid conditioning, barring taking the McGregor fight on short notice, but he likely won’t be able to match Edgar’s pace. That will be the difference maker in a fight that likely goes the distance. I see Edgar winning a very close decision based on winning the latter rounds.
2. Who takes the crown of this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter”?
The most recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter” had a good dynamic between the coaches, Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber, that carried out through the season. The fights on the show were solid battles, and it led to an interesting final. It will be Artem Lobov and Ryan Hall squaring off for the six-figure contract, and it will be the first time that two fighters who were eliminated at one point during the show meet in the finals. Lobov was eliminated in the fights to get into the house, but was selected by McGregor to return to the show in a new wrinkle put forth by Dana White this year. Hall replaces Saul Rogers, the man who eliminated him from the show en route to the finals. Rogers was unable to secure a visa to come to the US to compete in the finals.
It leads to an interesting fight between Lobov and Hall. Hall has excellent grappling credentials and is 4-1 since making the transition to MMA in 2012. Lobov has a spotty record at 11-10-1 with 1 no contest, and he is the main training partner to McGregor. He won his three bouts by knockout after returning to the competition, so he did earn his spot here. He has knockout power and underrated submissions. Hall is a legitmate prospect coming off the show whereas Lobov may not have much to offer in the UFC outside of being someone to put on a card in Ireland. We know Hall will be looking to take the fight down to the mat so it is up to Lobov to show he can keep the fight upright. Lobov has to try to land the big punches, but I see Hall’s grappling being too much for him.
3. Can Tony Ferguson make it seven straight wins against Edson Barboza?
Tony Ferguson is flying under the radar in the UFC’s lightweight division, but he has amassed a six-fight win streak heading into Friday night’s bout against Edson Barboza. Ferguson was originally scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at this event, but another injury kept Nurmagomedov from returning to action. Barboza is a high-level replacement who is creeping up on top five status himself. Ferguson is right behind him and looking to leap frog Barboza with a win. Ferguson has posted wins over the likes of Josh Thomson, Gleison Tibau, Abel Trujillo and Danny Castillo during his win streak, and four of those six wins have come by stoppage. Ferguson may be the most underrated “TUF” winner of all-time as he has gone 9-1 in his UFC career. Barboza is 10-3 in his UFC career but remains just on the cusp of title contention after an impressive win over Paul Felder in his last bout.
For all of the great fights going on this weekend, this match-up is one of the best. Barboza has amazing kickboxing skills and great takedown defense. Ferguson is very creative on his feet and is a pressure fighter. He is the type of opponent that Barboza has had trouble with in the past. He also outputs a lot of volume and isn’t afraid to get inside the range of an opponent. Barboza is flashy and will come out with spinning kicks and he doesn’t get hit a lot. Ferguson may look to utilize a clinch and wrestling game to keep Barboza from unleashing his striking. Ferguson can be suffocating and is solid with his submission game. Ferguson is also a pace setter and that is going to make the difference in this fight. Barboza isn’t neccessarily a fighter who will push the pace, and that will allow Ferguson to control the action in the fight. It should be a great fight, but Ferguson has the tools to take home a decisive decision win.
4. Will Joe Lauzon add another bonus to his UFC record?
Joe Lauzon is the UFC bonus king as he has won thirteen post-fight bonus awards during his UFC career, with six “Fight Of The Night”, six “Submission Of The Night” and one “Knockout Of The Night” awards. He will be looking to add to that on Friday night when he takes on Evan Dunham, a man who is also familiar with post-fight bonus awards, having won four during his career. They enter the fight in an interesting position in their careers as both have been firmly established as lightweight gatekeepers. Each were on the cusp of entering the title picture before setbacks have knocked them out of the rankings, but they both will be employed for a long time due to their ability to put on the best fight on any card they are featured on. Both men can still deliver great winning performances as well.
Lauzon is an aggressive fighter who looks to put his opponent on the mat so he can start showing off his high-level submission game. Dunham is an excellent wrestler and he is difficult to put on the mat. Dunham has high-level striking with a lot of output and he is a grinding fighter in the clinch. Lauzon will likely have trouble taking Dunham to the ground, but if it goes down, Lauzon has excellent transitions on the mat. He has some vicious ground-and-pound that he uses to set up the submissions as 17 of his 25 wins have come by submission. Dunham showed real improvement in his recent win over Ross Pearson with his striking and overall game. If he continues to show that, he has the clear path to winning on the feet. It will likely be a close fight but one that should lead to Dunham winning. With this match-up, win or lose, Lauzon has a very good chance at adding to his bonus record.
5. What else is there to look out for on the card?
Outside of three solid match-ups, this middle event of the three-fight week is likely the weakest of the three events. It’s main event keeps this event from being dismissed and there are some showcase bouts to keep an eye on. Tatsuya Kawajiri looks to add another win to his record when he takes on Jason Knight. Knight is a late replacement for Mirsad Bektic, and while he sports a 15-1 record, he has never fought a fighter like Kawajiri. This is Kawajiri’s fight to lose. Another fight that was changed on short notice is a flyweight bout between Joby Sanchez and Geane Herrera. Herrera is a replacement for Justin Scoggins. Neither man may be truly UFC ready at this stage, but Sanchez is more ready than Herrera and should take the win here.
In a welterweight bout, Ryan LaFlare will be looking to rebound from his first career loss when he takes on Mike Pierce. Pierce has been out of action since a submission loss to Rousimar Palhares in October 2013. It was that fight that led to Palhares getting cut from the UFC as he kept holding onto Pierce’s leg for too long after Pierce tapped, and the UFC had enough with his antics. Pierce suffered knee and ankle injuries due to that, but a broken hand was what has kept him out of action for 26 months. He had won four straight prior to the loss to Palhares. Also on the preliminary card is a heavyweight bout between former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga and Konstantin Erokhin. Gonzaga has lost three straight fights and could be fighting for his UFC career while Erokhin is looking to rebound from a loss in his UFC debut.
Full The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
Featherweights: (#2) Frankie Edgar vs. (#3) Chad Mendes Betting Odds: Edgar (-130), Mendes (+110) Prediction: Edgar by decision
TUF 22 Lightweight Finals: Artem Lobov vs. Ryan Hall Betting Odds: Lobov (-175), Hall (+145) Prediction: Hall by submission in round 2
Lightweights: (#6) Edson Barboza vs. (#7) Tony Ferguson Betting Odds: Barboza (+175), Ferguson (-190) Prediction: Ferguson by decision
Lightweights: Joe Lauzon vs. Evan Dunham Betting Odds: Lauzon (+170), Dunham (-200) Prediction: Dunham by decision
Featherweights: (#13) Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight Betting Odds: Kawajiri (-240), Knight (+220) Prediction: Kawajiri by submission in round 1
Lightweights: Julian Erosa vs. Marcin Wrzosek Betting Odds: Erosa (-140), Wrzosek (+110) Prediction: Erosa by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Heavyweights: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Konstantin Erokhin Betting Odds: Gonzaga (-105), Erokhin (-105) Prediction: Erokhin by knockout in round 1
Welterweights: Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce Betting Odds: LaFlare (-225), Pierce (+205) Prediction: LaFlare by decision
Flyweights: Joby Sanchez vs. Geane Herrera Betting Odds: Sanchez (-110), Herrera (-110) Prediction: Sanchez by decision
Lightweights: Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Abner Lloveras Betting Odds: Gruetzemacher (-185), Lloveras (+155) Prediction: Gruetzemacher by decision
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale: Edgar vs. Mendes weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada kicking off at 5 PM eastern time. The event airs on Friday on FS1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on FS1 at 8 PM eastern time. This continues the biggest week in UFC history in Las Vegas and the conclusion of the 22nd US version of the reality show.
The event will be headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC featherweight division as former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar takes on former title challenger Chad Mendes in a highly anticipated bout that could determine the next challenger. The event also features the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 22 as Artem Lobov takes on replacement Ryan Hall, who fills in for Saul Rogers, who was forced out due to visa issues. Also on the card is a pivotal bout in the lightweight division as Edson Barboza takes on Tony Ferguson, winner of six straight fights.
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Frankie Edgar (145.5) vs. Chad Mendes (146) Artem Lobov (155) vs. Ryan Hall (155) – TUF 22 Lightweight Finale Edson Barboza (155.5) vs. Tony Ferguson (156) Joe Lauzon (155.5) vs. Evan Dunham (156) Tatsuya Kawajiri (146) vs. Jason Knight (145) Julian Erosa (155) vs. Marcin Wrzosek (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Gabriel Gonzaga (263) vs. Konstantin Erokhin (230) Ryan LaFlare (171) vs. Mike Pierce (170.5) Joby Sanchez (126) vs. Geane Herrera (125) Chris Gruetzemacher (156) vs. Abner Lloveras (155)
*No one had any issues making weight and everything was very cordial when it came to the staredowns.
Chad Mendes was a guest on Submission Radio and had a lot to say about two of his biggest featherweight rivals. Regarding Frankie Edgar and their upcoming fight on December 11th at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas, he doesn’t feel like the wrestling skill of both competitors will cancel each other out:
“He’s a great MMA wrestler, he’s good at timing, but I feel like – obviously he just fought Urijah Faber. I train with Urijah every single day. And so I have insight. Like, I know what he’s going to be feeling like in certain positions. I’ve been training a lot with Urijah on Frankie, feeling this out……. I feel very confident. I feel like my wrestling, obviously I’m gonna be looking to mix it up everywhere with this fight”
He went on to say that he feels that his power will be the big difference in the fight with Edgar
“He has a lot more output, he uses more volume punches, but you know, there’s a lot of mistakes that I see, that he makes when he’s in there, throwing punches. So I think someone like me, who’s fast, explosive, powerful, can be a big danger for someone like him, that’s coming in a lot and loves to be in the pocket, [where] you get hit with big punches”
When pressed about questions regarding his conditioning, Mendes lashed out at fans of Conor McGregor and brought up his own past as evidence that conditioning will not be an issue
“The only people that are questioning my conditioning are Conor McGregor nut-hangers, and that’s just because he said that…. look at my fight with Aldo. I fought Aldo, who’s one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. I went five rounds with him and pushed the pace the entire time. When I’m prepared, my cardio is never an issue. It never has been. There’s been one other fight with [Nik] Lentz, where I was sick and fought through it, and still beat that guy, who in my opinion would destroy Conor…… I took that fight on short-notice, and that’s why it was an issue in that fight.”
And in regards to a rematch with Conor McGregor, Mendes has no doubt how that fight would go
“I train a proper fight, I kill Conor. And I don’t think my conditioning is gonna be a problem in this fight. You guys got to see what happened in the first two rounds. I mean, I took him down and was able to land shots at will. I mean, big elbows, big punches. The guy doesn’t have much off his back. And me in shape, I’m able to bounce around on the feet, stay light on my feet, take him down whenever I want. I feel like I could beat that guy just with the cardio alone with my wrestling.”
On back to back night in Las Vegas in December, Mendes will fight Edgar for the #1 contender’s spot and Jose Aldo and McGregor will battle for the Featherweight title. The two winners are expected to fight in 2016 in what will be one of the year’s most anticipated fights.
