Closing the Distance

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The HSBC Arena, a 15,000-seat multi-purpose facility in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sits roughly 6,500 miles away from Hanford, Calif., the hometown of Chad Mendes.

The unbeaten Mendes (11-0, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday will set out to prove not nearly as much distance separates his skills from those of reigning featherweight king Jose Aldo, as the 26-year-old challenges the dynamic Brazilian champion for his 145-pound crown in the UFC 142 main event. The chance to unseat Aldo in his homeland intrigues Mendes, who secured the opportunity to do so with back-to-back wins over 2009 Sengoku Raiden Championship featherweight grand prix finalist Michihiro Omigawa and 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Rani Yahya.

“For me, it’s a great experience. Brazil is the birthplace of MMA,” Mendes said during a pre-fight teleconference. “Going over there and beating a champion in his own backyard ... to me, there’s no better way to prove that I’m the best 145-pound [fighter]. Overall, I’m feeling great. This camp has gone very, very smooth [and] maybe [has me in] the best shape that I’ve ever been in, and I’m excited to get in there and showcase it.”

Perfect and virtually unscathed through 11 professional appearances, Mendes has not fought since he defeated Yahya by unanimous decision at UFC 133 in August. The gravity of his situation and the opportunity being placed before him finally registered on New Year’s Eve, two weeks to the day before his scheduled encounter with Aldo.

“I had a surreal moment the other night,” Mendes said. “On New Year’s, I was in my living room watching Times Square, you know, watching the ball drop. Behind one of the guys performing on stage, there was a big poster of me and Jose in the background -- in Times Square. It’s just crazy to think, a little under three and a half years ago, I was still in college.

“This trip into MMA: it’s been a very fast ride,” he added. “It’s just been an awesome, awesome experience for me. Just sitting there realizing that was kind of surreal. I knew that I would be good at the sport, but, to me, fighting as a main event and for the title with 11 fights, it’s awesome.”

One-sided wins over Mendes’ Team Alpha Male mentor Urijah Faber and American Top Team’s Mike Thomas Brown notwithstanding, it could be argued that Aldo has never faced a wrestler the caliber of his current foe. A two-time Pac-10 Conference champion and NCAA All-American at California Polytechnic State University, Mendes went 30-1 as a senior and reached the national final at 141 pounds.

“I think Jose’s takedown defense is great, especially up against the cage, but the only difference with guys [like] Urijah and Mike Brown is neither of those guys really have an explosive shot,” he said. “My style of shot is more of an explosive, kind of just blast-you-off-your-feet takedown, and a lot of the time those are harder to defend. I believe what I have and what I can do is going to work.”

Much has been made of Aldo’s decision to train with UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard, himself a decorated amateur wrestler, in the weeks leading up to the matchup. Mendes shrugs off the alliance.

“I don’t care who he trains with,” he said. “I train with some of the best guys in the world. I’ve been wrestling since I was 5 years old. It’s what I’ve done my entire life. I haven’t taken a year off -- ever. For wrestling, I don’t care who he works with. He can work with the best wrestler in the entire world for his camp. [Aldo’s] wrestling is not going to be anywhere near as good as mine. I’m sure he understands that.”

Aldo (20-1, 2-0 UFC) has long established himself as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats, first through his historic tear in World Extreme Cagefighting and now in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The 25-year-old Nova Uniao ace will enter the cage on a 13-fight winning streak, having defeated three-time UFC title contender Kenny Florian by unanimous decision in October. A world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu player and explosive standup fighter with thunder in his hands, knees and feet, Aldo has delivered more than half (14) of his 20 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. However, he has been forced to go the distance in three of his last four appearances.

“I definitely have seen things that give me confidence,” Mendes said. “I don’t think Jose has any holes or any cracks in his game. I think, if anything, he has some areas that aren’t quite as strong as others, but I don’t see any holes. I feel the same way about my game. I don’t feel like I have any holes. I’m young in the sport, but I’m learning fast and I feel great about every part of my game.

“The last two [Aldo] fights are fights I’ve watched a lot and sat down and picked apart,” he added. “It’s something that’s helped us put together a great game plan for this fight. I’m feeling confident coming into this fight that I’m going to be able to do it.”

Still, Mendes has watched, along with the rest of the MMA world, as one challenger after another has fallen short of the mark against Aldo: Florian, Brown, Mark Hominick, Manny Gamburyan, Cub Swanson and Jonathan Brookins, to name but a few.

“I think a lot of fighters get in there and try and stand in front of him too much,” Mendes said. “You’ve got to keep the pressure on Jose. He’s the type of fighter that will take you apart. He’s very explosive with his standup, and he has pinpoint accuracy. I think guys need to get in there and get their hands on him more. I don’t think any of the guys who have fought him have the wrestling credentials or the wrestling abilities to be able to get a hold of Jose and get him down and hold him there.”

Aldo’s list of victims includes Faber, whom he battered with ferocious leg kicks en route to a one-sided unanimous decision at WEC 48 in April 2010. Mendes believes he can learn from his teammate’s mistakes.

“Going into that fight, we knew Jose had leg kicks, but it wasn’t something that was a red flag,” he said. “Sitting down with Urijah and talking to him about his experience in there with Jose, we’ve figured out where he’s stronger and where he’s a little bit more weak. We’ve gone over situations and set up something that’s really going to be great.”

Despite the golden opportunity in front of him, Mendes thinks the pressure to perform falls squarely upon the champion.

“I think that definitely it’s the biggest fight and going to be the biggest night of my career, but I’m super excited,” he said. “I’m in the best spot possible. I think Jose has all the pressure on his shoulders. He’s the one fighting in front of his home crowd. He has the belt. He’s the one that has to deal with all the pressure. I’m the up-and-comer. I’m the underdog. I’m the one coming into this fight that everyone’s kind of overlooking. I feel confident that my skills, the things that I’m good at, are going to be able to beat him.”

Mendes sounds like a man prepared to seize the moment.

“I’ve just been living the dream. I’m out here in Sacramento getting to train with all my buddies every day, getting to travel all over the world. It’s just something I’m definitely soaking up,” he said. “I’m taking every day one at a time and just loving life. I know that I only have a short window in my life to do this kind of stuff, and this is that time. I realize that.”