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 the idea of returning to the sport as of late, reports have come out that he will not be returning to MMA at all.
According to MMA Junkie, Mendes announced on The Joe Rogan Experience that he has signed a contract to fight with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
“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 bare-knuckle 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.”
Chad Mendes has been out of the UFC for three years. During his time there he was one of the best featherweights in the organization. He fought some of the best at 145 pounds, including Alexander Volkanovski, Frankie Edgar, Conor McGregor, and José Aldo. In 2015, Mendes lost two fights and then was suspended from competition due to testing positive for a banned substance. He eventually returned in 2018 and went 1-1.
This contract with BKFC will reportedly be the biggest financially of Mendes’ career. Mendes will be making his bare-knuckle debut on Oct. 22 in Chandler, Arizona. He will be competing at 155 pounds.
Chad Mendes was a longtime member of Team Alpha Male, run by Urijah Faber out of California. According to some training videos he has been posting on his Instagram, Mendes is back in his old stomping ground and looking right at home.
Bare-knuckle fighting has been the hot path for former UFC fighters as of late. Joining the likes of Paige Van Zant, Jason Knight, and Rachel Ostovich, Mendes will be the latest addition.
Do you think Chad Mendes will fair well in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship?
