Chad Mendes

Chad Eduardo Mendes is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer, and former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). He gained notoriety competing in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a three-time UFC championship challenger, and had also competed in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

Having competed in collegiate wrestling as a Cal Poly Mustang, Mendes was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and a Pac-10 Conference champion.

Wrestling career NCAA Mendes wrestled for California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California. He finished his career with an overall record of 64–14 and twice earned NCAA All-American honors at 125 pounds as a sophomore, then 141 pounds as a senior. As a senior, Mendes finished the year with a 30–1 record; he placed 2nd in the 2008 NCAA championships at 141 lb., falling to Ohio State's J Jaggers in the title match. That year, Mendes was Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career After the conclusion of his collegiate career, Mendes began to train in mixed martial arts with Team Alpha Male. He won the fight via unanimous decision, despite a cut over his right eye that was examined during the fight to see if he could continue.

Mendes faced Anthony Morrison, replacing an injured Mackens Semerzier, on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48. He won the bout via first round submission.

Mendes faced Cub Swanson on August 18, 2010 at WEC 50. He won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28).

Mendes faced Javier Vazquez on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52 and defeated him via unanimous decision. Mendes was able to utilize his improved striking to complement his superior wrestling to dictate where he wanted to take the action. During the fight, Mendes used an unorthodox move when he front flipped on Vazquez who was on the ground, to land on him.

Ultimate Fighting Championship On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Mendes made his UFC debut against returning veteran and judo black belt Michihiro Omigawa on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Following UFC 129, Dana White mentioned in the post-fight press conference that Mendes may have a shot at the title against UFC featherweight champion José Aldo. Although the two were expected to fight on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133, Aldo would be sidelined until October recovering from various injuries sustained during his fight with Mark Hominick. Mendes instead faced Rani Yahya at the event. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Mendes fought UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142, losing at 4:59 of the first round via KO, giving Mendes his first professional loss.

Mendes next faced Cody McKenzie on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148. He won the fight via first-round TKO due to a body punch.

Mendes was expected to face Hacran Dias on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX 6. However, in just days before the event, Dias pulled out of the bout, citing a shoulder injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Yaotzin Meza. Mendes defeated Meza via KO at 3:38 in the first round.

Mendes was expected to face Manvel Gamburyan on February 23, 2013 at UFC 157. However, Gamburyan pulled out of the bout, citing a thumb injury. Subsequently, Mendes was pulled from the card as a suitable replacement could not be found on short notice.

Mendes was expected to face Clay Guida on April 20, 2013 at UFC on Fox 7. However, it was revealed on March 15 that Guida had pulled out of the bout, citing an injury, and he was replaced by Darren Elkins. Mendes won the fight by TKO at 1:08 in the first round.

A rescheduled bout with Guida took place on August 31, 2013 at UFC 164. After a close first and second round, Mendes finished Guida via TKO by punches in the third round and became the first man to ever finish Guida by strikes. The win also earned Mendes his first Knockout of the Night bonus award.

Mendes faced Nik Lentz on December 14, 2013 at UFC on Fox 9. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

A rematch with José Aldo was expected to take place on August 2, 2014, as the event headliner at UFC 176 for the UFC Featherweight Championship. However, in early July, Aldo pulled out of the bout with an injury. The rematch with Aldo was subsequently rescheduled and took place on October 25, 2014, at UFC 179. He became the first man to knock down Aldo dropping him with a left hand in the first round. Mendes and Aldo both rocked each other with clean punches, Mendes would go on to lose the fight via unanimous decision. Despite the loss on the scorecards, Mendes was awarded his first Fight of the Night bonus award for the bout. The fight won World MMA Awards 2015 fight of the year award.

Mendes faced Ricardo Lamas on April 4, 2015 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 63. Mendes won the fight via TKO in the first round. The win also earned Mendes his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

On May 18, 2015, Dana White tweeted that Chad Mendes had agreed to an eight-fight contract with UFC.

José Aldo was expected to face Conor McGregor on July 11, 2015 at UFC 189 for the undisputed UFC Featherweight Championship. However, in the days leading up to the fight, Aldo pulled out of the bout because of a rib injury he sustained in training. Mendes stepped in as a short notice replacement to face McGregor for the interim championship. Mendes lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Mendes faced Frankie Edgar on December 11, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

After returning from his suspension and two-and-a-half years away from the sport, Mendes faced Myles Jury on July 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 133. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Mendes faced Alexander Volkanovski on December 29, 2018 at UFC 232. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. This fight earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. Following the loss, Mendes announced his retirement from the sport.

Global Fight League Mendes was scheduled to come out of retirement to face Maike Linhares in the inaugural Global Fight League event on May 24, 2025 at GFL 1. However, all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Bare-knuckle boxing career Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship On August 4, 2021, Mendes announced that he was released from his UFC contract by his own request and signed a multi-fight contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He was initially expected to make his debut at a BKFC event on October 22, 2021, but that was postponed on two occasions. He debuted on February 19, 2022 at BKFC KnuckleMania 2 defeating Joshuah Alvarez by technical knockout.

On April 29, 2023, Mendes faced Eddie Alvarez at BKFC 41 and lost by split decision. He announced his retirement from combat sports after the bout. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Doping violations and suspension On June 10, 2016, the UFC announced that Mendes had been informed of a potential doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition test conducted by USADA. Mendes responded, "I didn't do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I'm going to pay for it." He claims the cause was from a topical cream used to treat his psoriasis, however, on July 20, 2016, USADA reported that Mendes tested positive for GHRP-6, a growth hormone release stimulator, and suspended Mendes for 2 years. He was not eligible to compete again until June 10, 2018.

Submission grappling Mendes competed in Submission Underground 3 on January 30, 2017, where he defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and 27 time Grapplers Quest champion, Jeff Glover in overtime.

Mendes was scheduled to face Kevin Lee at ADXC 5 on August 3, 2024. Lee was replaced by Diego Brandão on short notice, and Mendes won the match by decision.

Personal life Mendes graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in engineering. He is of Portuguese, Italian, Puerto Rican, Irish, and Native American descent.

Mendes' nickname, "Money", is shortened from his initial nickname, "Money Shot", the latter of which was suggested by training partner Urijah Faber. When asked how he got the nickname, Mendes stated that during his early days of MMA training right after graduating college, he had no knowledge of stand-up fighting, and one time, when he went for a takedown after taking a punch from one his training partners, they would claim that his "shot is money", hence the nickname stuck. It was after signing a sponsorship deal with Pepsi and joining the WEC that the nickname was shortened to "Money", as his initial one was deemed too vulgar for television.

Outside of combat sports, Mendes is the founder of hunting and fishing guide service Finz and Featherz, which has been attributed to his love for hunting and fishing, having grown up in the countryside.

In 2019, Mendes and his wife Abby welcomed a daughter.

Legal issues Mendes was charged with battery for his alleged involvement in a bar fight on July 29, 2012 in his hometown of Hanford, California. The Kings County District Attorney's Office announced on August 25, 2012, that it would seek a battery charge against Mendes. The charges were dropped after Mendes pleaded no contest to a count of public disturbance and paid a fine.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Knockout of the Night (One time) UFC.com Awards 2011: Ranked #9 Import of the Year 2014: Ranked #2 Fight of the Year World MMA Awards 2014 Fight of the Year vs. José Aldo 2 at UFC 179 ESPN 2014 Fight of the Year vs. José Aldo 2 at UFC 179 Bloody Elbow 2014 Fight of the Year vs. José Aldo 2 at UFC 179 MMA Junkie 2014 Fight of the Year vs. José Aldo 2 at UFC 179 2014 October Fight of the Month vs. José Aldo 2 Bleacher Report 2013 #9 Ranked Fighter of the Year 2014 #2 Ranked Fight of the Year Yahoo Sports 2014 #2 Ranked Fight of the Year

Collegiate wrestling National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division I All-American (2006, 2008) Pac-10 Conference Championship (2008) Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year (2008) NCAA Division I 125 lb: 6th place out of Cal Poly (2006) (vs. Eddie Alvarez)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Alexander Volkanovski TKO (punches) UFC 232

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Myles Jury TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov

Boise, Idaho, United States Loss

Frankie Edgar KO (punch) The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Conor McGregor TKO (punches) UFC 189

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Ricardo Lamas TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas

Fairfax, Virginia, United States Loss

José Aldo Decision (unanimous) UFC 179

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Nik Lentz Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2

Sacramento, California, United States Win

Clay Guida TKO (punches) UFC 164

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Win

Darren Elkins KO (punches) UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez

San Jose, California, United States Win

Yaotzin Meza KO (punches) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson

Gold Coast, Australia Win

Cody McKenzie KO (punch to the body) UFC 148

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

José Aldo KO (knee) UFC 142

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Rani Yahya Decision (unanimous) UFC 133

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Michihiro Omigawa Decision (unanimous) UFC 126

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Javier Vazquez Decision (unanimous) WEC 52

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Cub Swanson Decision (unanimous) WEC 50

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Anthony Morrison Submission (guillotine choke) WEC 48

Sacramento, California, United States Win

Erik Koch Decision (unanimous) WEC 47

Columbus, Ohio, United States Win

Mike Joy Decision (unanimous) Tachi Palace Fights 1

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Steven Siler KO (punches) TPF: Best of Both Worlds

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Art Arciniega Decision (unanimous) PFC: Best of Both Worlds 2

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Leland Gridley TKO (punches) PFC: Best of Both Worlds

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Giovanni Encarnacion Submission (rear-naked choke) PFC 10: Explosive

Lemoore, California, United States Pay-per-view bouts

Bare knuckle record Loss

Eddie Alvarez Decision (split) BKFC 41 April 29, 2023

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Win

Joshuah Alvarez TKO (punches) BKFC KnuckleMania 2

Hollywood, Florida, United States

NCAA record

Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event

Loss 10-5

Win 10-4

Win 9-4

Win 8-4

Win 7-4

Loss 6-4

Win 6-3

Win 5-3

Loss 4-3

Win 4-2

Win 3-2

Loss 2-2

Loss 2-1

Win 2-0

Win 1-0