BKFC has shown Chad Mendes the money.
On Wednesday, BKFC officials announced that they had signed former UFC title challenger Chad “Money” Mendes to a multi-fight deal. Terms of the contract were not released.
@ChadMendes WELCOME TO BKFC pic.twitter.com/gBIZ6e6Dp2
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) August 4, 2021
Mendes (18-5 MMA) last competed in 2018, suffering a TKO defeat at the hands of future (and current) featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Mendes challenged for 145lb gold three times in the UFC, losing twice to Jose Aldo for the undisputed title. He was also stopped by Conor McGregor in an interim title fight.
Following the Volkanovski loss, Mendes announced his retirement from the sport, but remained active in the gym. When he makes his debut for BKFC, Mendes will be competing in combat sports for the first time in over two and a half years.
Mendes is the latest former UFC talent to be scooped up by David Fledman’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. In its early days, BKFC’s biggest stars included Jason Knight, Artem Lobov, and “Queen of Bareknuckle” Bec Rawlings. More recently, fighters like Hector Lombard, Paige VanZant, and the soon to be debuting Alan Belcher have joined the fold.
At 36-years old, Team Alpha Male’s Mendes has a chance to make an impact in BKFC — and while his background was in wrestling, Mendes did prove to have knockout power during his MMA run.
