​Chad Mendes never claimed UFC gold during his storied run, and he carries no regrets about the moment he came closest. This Saturday marks the 11-year anniversary of UFC 189, when Mendes (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) endured a second-round TKO at the hands of Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in an interim featherweight title bout. Mendes stepped in to replace Jose Aldo, who had withdrawn because of a rib injury. With only ten days to prepare and a substantial weight cut ahead, Mendes fought as hard as he could against “The Notorious,” who would return to the cage after a five-year layoff to rematch Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in the UFC 329 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
Mendes has not fought in MMA since December 2018, and he has gained more perspective with each passing year since that fateful night in Sin City, observing it as a life-changing experience. The longtime featherweight contender reflected with MMA Junkie on the rollercoaster that led him to UFC 189 and the experiences he faced as he chased, but ultimately failed, to secure a career-defining moment.
“He was supposed to fight Aldo, but Aldo ended up pulling a rib. I got the call and was out on the boat finishing a day. My manager asked, ‘Are you ready? Can you make weight?’ I replied, ‘Sh—, I don’t know.’ We talked on the boat and then got right to it. It was obviously a very unexpected and exciting time in my life heading to Vegas. Ireland was there. You walk down the street, Irish fans singing and chanting, and you see them everywhere. It was a crazy experience going through that media week. Everything was so last minute, but this was one of those moments where anything could happen and I could land a right hand on Conor and put him to sleep and become UFC champion. Obviously I wasn’t fully prepared for it, but you have to live on the edge sometimes.”
“I know it came down to a toss-up between me and Frankie (Edgar) for the fight. Frankie was still training and nearly ready to go, while Conor didn’t pick Frankie, or the UFC didn’t choose Frankie. They picked me. That may have been a deliberate choice, but it is what it is. Everything happens for a reason. Whether we see it in that moment or later, who knows how things would have looked for me today. I’m not mad about it.”
“We had to craft a game plan. I started sparring a lot with Mike Malott. We faced a tall, southpaw, length-based opponent, but I recall my first sparring session with Mike: I threw an inside low kick, connected with his knee, and it mangled the top of my foot. For four or five days afterward, in the Embedded videos, I was limited to swimming workouts. I couldn’t train properly or stand on it. I was just trying to do anything to stay prepared.”