Chad Mendes has been waiting ever so patiently to compete again.
It’s been more than three years since he last fought at UFC 232. He subsequently announced his retirement from MMA in July 2019. And to Mendes, it’s felt like a full year has gone by since he signed with Bare Knuckle FC when, in reality, it’s been six months.
Mendes, 36, makes his debut against Joshuah Alvarez in a 155-pound bout on Feb. 19 at “BKFC: Knucklemania II.” The former three-time UFC featherweight title challenger views his upcoming bout as a way to scratch his competitive itch, but he’s really not sure of his fighting future after that.
“It’s one of those things that’s gonna either be a lot of fun, or I’m gonna hate it,” Mendes told MMA Junkie.
From a financial standpoint, Mendes doesn’t feel like he needs to fight and said he’s doing well for himself with business ventures in the outdoor and food industries. He has multiple fights on his BKFC contract, but if he doesn’t like his first experience then he doesn’t intend to continue on.
That said, Mendes is happy with the money he’ll make for taking part in “Knucklemania II” as it blows away anything he ever made in more than seven years with the UFC.
“I’ll put it this way: I just saw what the UFC heavyweight champion of the world just got paid, and it’s gonna be more than that,” Mendes said. “It’s pretty crazy. I feel blessed for sure.”
Mendes is referencing the disclosed $600,000 purse that Francis Ngannou earned after retaining his heavyweight title with a win over Ciryl Gane last month at UFC 270. For his final UFC bout, a loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 232 in December 2018, Mendes was paid a disclosed purse of $87,000 (and earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus).
Given the current climate of UFC fighter pay compared to what he’ll be paid by BKFC in addition to outside sponsorships, Mendes admits it would be hard for him to return.
“Man, it’s very profitable,” Mendes said of fighting for BKFC. “I’m getting paid well for the fight, and I’m doubling that with the sponsors alone. It’s crazy. That was such a big money maker for us in the UFC (before the exclusive Reebok deal). Obviously not everybody, but people who knew what they were doing and could promote and actually get out there and do what they needed to do to get those, it was great.
“It’s a great way to make a big income without having to do much, just getting logos on shorts, helping these companies that I already work with. I’ve worked with a lot of companies in the outdoor industry for the last six to eight years, and it’s just expanding our relationship and getting something new. Instead of just social media stuff, now we’ve got social media, a fight platform, and some cool marketing on shorts. I think it’s just a win-win for everybody. It’s exciting, the ability to do what we were able to do in this fight, for sure.”
Ultimately, Mendes feels good about his decision to walk away from the UFC.
“I think so,” Mendes said. “Obviously if I’d stuck with it, I’d obviously be making more money now. But from when I left until now, how much more damage would I have been putting myself through for how much more money? I think it was a smart move. This is a really cool opportunity that kind of fills that competitive gap that I still have, and it’s a great way to make money in a very short amount of time.”
