Chad Mendes vs Rani Yahya UFC 133

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/5/24/2188006/chad-mendes-to-face-rani-yahya-not-jose-aldo-at-ufc-133
The UFC confirmed Tuesday that No. 1 featherweight contender Chad Mendes will not wait for Jose Aldo and instead pass on his title shot as he'll face another Brazilian — Rani Yahya — at UFC 133 on Aug. 6 in Philadelphia.

good fight, im excited to see Yahya back in there

...give the kid five grand and keep him for a month.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

...give the kid five grand and keep him for a month.

IF he isn't going to fight Aldo, for whatever the reason, this is a great matchup.

I agree with staying busy but passing up a title shot for a couple weeks-1 month wait is really stupid. I hope Yahya subs him

Yea a title fight to an also ran who is still a loss away from being cut. Yahya is good and all and has the ADCC pedigree and all that but seriously.

It's because he needs the payday that bad. There is an article about it on SBnation.

wow wow wow... he's giving up the tittle shot

Wolfgangsta wrote:

It's because he needs the payday that bad. There is an article about it on SBnation.

Quote :

It's unconscionable to pay a title contender like Mendes $19,000 to
fight. Not only does it necessitate tough decisions like this, it also
creates an unbalanced playing field. With that kind of money backing
him, Mendes can barely afford a world class training camp and can forget
about maintaining a reasonable standard of living. Chad Mendes, the top
contender to the featherweight crown, is giving up on a chance to win
the championship of the world - likely because of money issues.

http://www.mmamania.com/2011/6/1/2200700/ufc-133-chad-mendes-wants-to-compete-not-sit-on-the-sidelines-and

Quote :

"It's frustrating to get in here and train 2-3 times a day hard,
every day, and not have a light at the end of the tunnel, a fight to
look forward to. That's what motivates me. Getting that opponent,
knowing who it is, watching tape on him, that's what motivates me to get
in and bust my butt every day. It's frustrating not knowing, so like I
said, I just want to compete. It's something I wanted and it's what I
was pushing for, but overall if he's injured, take as much time as you
need. I'd rather fight the best Jose Aldo there is and have no excuses. I
want to get in there and compete. I didn't want to wait 8-9 months if
he wasn't going to fight. So I decided to go with Rani Yahya, a for-sure
fight. I had the contract in front of me, so I took it ... I feel like
I've proven myself and if I beat Yahya, that's just another step to the
title. So like I said, no one's told me, but let's keep our fingers
crossed."

He is going to elbow Yahya to death from the guard for 15 minutes. However I am interested to see if Mendes decides to keep it standing and what his striking looks like at this stage.

Mendes is an Alpha Male protegee. Despite Master Thong, they've never been the greatest stand up camp. What they do excel at though in a big, big way is chewing up world class Brazilian black belts and spitting them out. The Gracies may send hitmen to SoCal after Mendes squashes another world class grappler Alpha Male style.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

He is going to elbow Yahya to death from the guard for 15 minutes. However I am interested to see if Mendes decides to keep it standing and what his striking looks like at this stage.

Mendes is an Alpha Male protegee. Despite Master Thong, they've never been the greatest stand up camp. What they do excel at though in a big, big way is chewing up world class Brazilian black belts and spitting them out. The Gracies may send hitmen to SoCal after Mendes squashes another world class grappler Alpha Male style.

good call.