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#2 Best: Chad Mendes is back with a bang
It’d been over two and a half years since Chad Mendes had last fought in the UFC, and given his last two fights had ended with him on the wrong end of a knockout, most observers were quite rightly questioning how much ‘Money’ had left in the tank – especially as he was matched with a tough opponent in the form of #12 ranked 145lber Myles Jury.
In the end, we needn’t have worried. After taking his time to find his range, Mendes nailed Jury with a brutal left hand that sent him crashing down, and was relentless in looking for the finish, pounding Jury with bombs to the head until the referee was forced to step in. It looked like the time on the shelf following the two knockouts might’ve done Mendes a favour, and physically he looked fine too – not like a man coming off a PED bust at all.
The win should move Mendes back into the UFC rankings on Monday and the best thing is that the division has totally changed since he was last around – meaning he’s a fresh matchup for everyone from #6 Josh Emmett and #7 Mirsad Bektic to the champion Max Holloway and #1 contender Brian Ortega. Mendes is a little older than the rest at 33, but he’s clearly still got a lot to offer to the division.
