It has been two years since we've seen former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes compete inside the Octagon.
Back in June of 2016 Mendes was handed a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for failing an out-of-competition drug test. His suspension is set to expire this time next month in June.
Mendes is chomping at the bit to get back inside the cage, and is still in the prime of his athletic career at just 32-years-old.
In his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, Mendes has only ever lost to the absolute cream of the crop at 145 pounds. He suffered the first loss of his MMA career back in 2012 when he was knocked out by Jose Aldo in the first round.
After racking up five more wins he was able to step back into the cage against Scarface. Unfortunately for the American he as again bested by Aldo, this time by way of unanimous decision.
Mendes then went on to make easy work of Ricardo Lamas, before stepping into the Octagon with Conor McGregor for an interim featherweight title.
Despite dominating with his wrestling early on, Mendes was knocked out late in the second round after gassing.
He returned just a few months later against Frankie Edgar, but was knocked out cold by The Answer just two minutes into the fight.
Now, after serving two years on suspension, Mendes is ready to return to his fighting ways. On a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Mendes said that he's ready to get back into the cage after having a nice amount of time to rest (quotes via MMA Mania):
“It was nice to decompress and get out of the game for a little bit. I’ve been training and competing non-stop since I was five years old and I have never taken a year off,” he said during a recent edition of The MMA Hour.
“It’s been nice to step away from it, start my business and kind of go into a different direction for a little bit.
"I am 32 years old, I still got the itch to compete and I am excited to get back in there and jump back into the mix.”
As for who his opponent would be, Mendes said he'd love the opportunity to avenge his loss to Edgar:
“I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back. Frankie is a tough little guy and a guy I know I can beat.
"That fight would be great. I honestly feel that any of the guys in the top 10 I match up with great.”
What are your thoughts on Mendes possibly returning to fight Edgar later this year? Are you excited to see Money back in the cage? And who else would you like to see him fight? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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