Nearly three years since his first title fight loss to featherweight champion Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes is confident that he will shock the world on Saturday night in Brazil.
“The goal is to go out there and surprise everybody.” Mendes stated at the UFC 179 media day scrum.
While the finish in their first encounter was a decisive one, Mendes believes he has eliminated all the weaknesses in his game and honed his talents to those of a champion’s caliber.
“I think the major improvements in my game have really upped my confidence. There were big holes in my game the first time we fought and there were areas that I wasn’t comfortable in.
“Makes it tough to be a champion when you are not comfortable in all areas.”
While his focus is on Aldo, and his quest for championship gold, Mendes has been probed with a consistent slew of questions regarding a potential future opponent: Conor McGregor.
The Irishman, who is scheduled to meet Dennis Siver in his next octagon outing, will be cageside at UFC 179. Based on his verbal jousting with both Aldo and Mendes, he clearly keen on thrusting himself into the title picture in the immediate future.
“It is not frustrating that he is going to be here. It is expected. The guy has a huge hype train. He is talking his way up to the top. He can sit there and watch – I am gonna get in there and win and then I’m gonna whip that dude’s a** next.”
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