With only two weeks away until the Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes rematch, "Money" has revealed that he is confident on his chances this time around. The featherweight title challenger also believes that the champion had not improved since their first fight.
The Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes rematch is scheduled for October 25th at UFC 179, in Aldo's home country of Brazil. While there have been back-and-forth exchanges of words and a media day face off that almost broke into a brawl, Chad "Money" Mendes has remained confident about his strategy coming into the bout.
In an interview with Inside MMA, "Money" has promised a different outcome as he faces the man who had granted him his lone career loss two years ago.
"I feel like I've matured so much as a fighter and as a person," Mendes said, speaking of his first fight against Aldo in January 2012 in Brazil. "Going over there, I had two fights in the UFC before that, flew to Brazil, fought him in his hometown."
The first Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes fight ended via a first round knockout. A perfectly-placed knee to the face with only one second left in the first round immediately sent Mendes to the canvas, en route to his first career loss.
Since then, he made adjustments, and incorporated the training regimen of Duane "Bang" Ludwig, the same striking coach who gave TJ Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male their first UFC title.
Under Ludwig's tutelage, Mendes was able to improve leaps and bounds in his striking, finishing four of his last five via knockout, three of them ending in the first round.
The vast improvement on "Money's" skillset has given him confidence, as he criticized Aldo for remaining stagnant in terms of progressing as a fighter.
"I've watched a lot of his fights, I just don't see any major improvements," Mendes claimed. "I feel like he's a type of guy who's really good at what he does, but he stays in his comfort zone."
