Second up on the UFC on Fox 9 main card was a Featherweight tilt between Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz. mendes came into the fight on a four-fight win streak since losing his title fight to Jose Aldo at UFC 142. Lentz had gone undefeated in three 145 lb. fights prior to squaring off against Mendes.
Mendes came out strong in the first round. He hurt Lentz repeatedly with big blows on the feet while mixing in takedowns. However, he clearly slowed down in the second round and started giving up points to Nik on the feet. He countered with takedowns to take control, but didn’t look to improve position or inflict damage. Despite being tossed off by Lentz repeatedly, the takedowns and top control led to Mendes scoring the unanimous decision victory.
Following the fight, Mendes defended his lackluster performances saying that he’s been suffering from a sinus infection for weeks and had difficulty breathing after the first round.
Wwatch the highlight video above and let us know what you thought about the fight in the comments.