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Chad Mendes, the former UFC featherweight titan best known for his fiery clash with Conor McGregor, has finally revealed the true toughest opponent of his career—and it’s not the Irish superstar. Despite his 2015 interim title bout with McGregor stealing headlines, Mendes points to a brutal five-round war that left him battered for months. While McGregor’s flashy striking and trash talk defined their rivalry, Mendes insists another legend pushed him to physical and mental extremes, a showdown so punishing it reshaped his perspective on combat sports. The answer? A name familiar to MMA purists.
Aldo over Conor McGregor: The Rio bloodbath that haunts Chad Mendes
For Mendes, the distinction between “tough” and “nightmare” lies in his 2014 rematch with Jose Aldo at UFC 179. Their first meeting in 2012 ended swiftly—Aldo scored a first-round TKO—but the sequel was a 25-minute slugfest that still echoes in UFC lore. Mendes pushed Aldo to the brink, trading vicious strikes in a
“Fight of the Year” thriller. Though judges awarded Aldo the decision, the real cost came afterward. “I pissed blood that night,” Mendes admitted, detailing a recovery that spanned two months of relentless pain.
The fight’s toll wasn’t just physical. Chad Mendes, who’d prepped for a grueling camp against Ricardo Lamas before accepting the Aldo rematch on short notice, described his body as “wrecked from head-to-toe.” His legs, hands, and feet throbbed for weeks, forcing him to step away from training—a hiatus that later backfired when he took the Conor McGregor fight on 10 days’ notice.
Why Aldo > McGregor?
Mendes doesn’t downplay McGregor’s skills but insists Jose Aldo’s versatility made him deadlier. “Aldo is way more athletic, explosive, strong… Conor’s game was striking,” he explained. Against Conor McGregor, Mendes leveraged his wrestling to control rounds, but fatigue from the Aldo war left him gassed. “If I’d been in shape, Conor would’ve been an easy fight,” he claimed, arguing Aldo’s blend of jiu-jitsu, power, and speed demanded a different level of preparation.
Legacy of a blood feud
The Jose Aldo rematch wasn’t just a fight—it was a career turning point. Chad Mendes’ willingness to brawl in Rio de Janeiro, amid a hostile crowd, cemented his reputation as a warrior. Yet the aftermath—peeing blood, chronic pain—also foreshadowed his eventual 2018 retirement. Today, as fans reminisce about Conor McGregor’s rise, Mendes’ reflections reframe MMA history: sometimes, the loudest rivalries aren’t the most defining.
