There are two things Chad Mendes has been doing for as long as he can remember. One takes place on the wrestling mats or inside the cage, while the other unfolds far away from the crowds in the silence of the wilderness.

And while those two passions couldn't seem further apart, a closer look reveals the same thread runs through and binds it all together. Simply put: Mendes is a competitor, and going after the prize is the thing he knows best.

The California native's accolades inside the Octagon are well established as the perennial contender as held status as one of the best featherweights in the world for the better part of a decade. Mendes's toppled the competition time and time again and earned multiple title shots in the process.

Yet, each time the ultimate trophy moved into his sights, fate and circumstance brought him in just short of the finish line. And a further twist would send Mendes to the sidelines for a lengthy stint.

"This time away has given me a chance to heal some things and get some perspective," Mendes told FloCombat. "Right there toward the end of my time competing in the UFC I lost a hard-fought title defense to Jose Aldo in a 'Fight of the Year' battle. I came back and knocked out a very tough opponent in Ricardo Lamas in the first round.

"I got offered a title fight against Conor McGregor on two weeks' notice. I was guiding people on my boat and hardly in the gym. I definitely was not in title fight shape at all. I went in there and fought, was beating the crap out of him and just gassed out. It's something that happens when you are not prepared, but it was a fight I wasn't going to turn down.

"I probably should have taken a bit more time off coming back, but I jumped right back in there against Frankie Edgar," he added. "I did some things different in that camp as far as weight cutting and I think it really affected my head. It just sucks but that's the path and I think everything happens for a reason."


Apr 4, 2015; Fairfax, VA, USA; Chad Mendes (red gloves) fights Richardo Lamas (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Patriot Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Always the game competitor, Mendes has used the time away to dive deeper into one his passions. A successful launch of his business Finz and Featherz has Mendes looking forward to a bright future in business, and with that foundation laid, he felt the urge to get back to the grind he's known so well.

The former featherweight title challenger will make his submission grappling debut against Southern California-based grappling guru Jeff Glover at Submission Underground 3 live on FloGrappling.com this Sunday in Portland.

"We've actually been talking about doing it for awhile," Mendes said. "Chael and I are managed by the same people, but with growing a new business I just didn't have the time. There just wasn't a lot of room for training or anything like that, but we were finally able to find a date that worked. I'm looking forward to getting out there to compete."

Glover's resume on the jiu-jitsu world is world class, and the appeal of knocking off a top talent is just the type of thing that brings out the beast in the Team Alpha Male standout. "The Pipelayer" has made several trips up to train with the Sacramento-based collective, and Mendes is certainly familiar with what Glover brings to the table.


Aug 31, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chad Mendes (top) fights Clay Guida during the UFC-164 bout at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

"Jeff Glover is a big name in the grappling world and I've known about him for a long time," Mendes said. "Probably since the beginning of my mixed martial arts career. He's actually come out to Team Alpha Male and grappled with a lot of our guys and he's a super cool guy. We have some guys who have trained under him or trained with him for awhile, and we know a lot about him.

"He's tough and he's like a monkey in there. He's tricky and rolls all over the place, but I think going against a hard-nosed wrestler—someone who is solid with their jiu-jitsu and has the ability to push the pace—I think that's going to make it tough for him."

While Mendes is well aware of the dangers Glover will present once the match goes live, he has confidence the unorthodox elements of the Submission Underground setup will play in his favor. Rather than taking place on an open mat, the match will happen inside a cage with both men standing at the start.

Mendes believes this will allow him to work a wrestling-heavy pace throughout the opening eight minute round. Should both men fail to get the job done within the first stanza, an overtime period is set in motion, and that's where Mendes projects he'll be at his strongest.


December 14, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Chad Mendes (red gloves) fights Nik Lentz (blue gloves) during the featherweight bout of the UFC on FOX 9 at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

"I think it's pretty cool and I feel the overtime rules definitely favor my style," Mendes said. "Coming from that wrestling background and the grind mentality of pushing the pace and wearing guys down, I have an entire eight minute round to do that. If there are no submission and we hit overtime it's going to come down to who wants it more and who is willing to dig the deepest.

"The cage is an advantage. Pushing a guy's head up against that cage, pushing that neck down and keeping that chin tucked makes it hard to breathe...especially if you are already tired. That will mentally break someone. Being an MMA fighter and having tons of experience inside the Octagon is definitely a benefit for me and I'm excited to get in and compete.

"It's awesome to get in there and compete at something a little bit out of the ordinary," he added. "I'm a mixed martial artist so being well rounded is something required to be successful, but getting in there and only focusing on one skill set is fun. You can clear up a lot in your mind just thinking about the grappling, moves, submissions and body awareness. It's a big change from thinking about all that plus punches, kicks, knees and elbows. It'll be fun, man."

The bout with Glover at SUG 3 will get all of Mendes' attention in the immediate future, but there are empty spaces on his mantle he's determined to fill.

His status as one of the best 145-pound fighters on the planet is an achievement well earned, and there is plenty left to fulfill on that particular journey. That said, Mendes has been hard at work forging his path once his fighting days have come to an end, and the results garnered thus far have him feeling better than ever about his future.

Where Mendes could have given in during the darkest time in his professional career, he chose to keep fighting and pushing through, and because of it has found something he never imagined was possible.

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"My goal was to become the UFC champion, and it still is my goal, but taking the time off has been great," Mendes said. "Letting my head and body heal is something I really needed to do. I had a lot of bumps and bruises, and things that were just nagging injuries. Letting my body heal was great for me and I'm feeling awesome.

"I launched this business called Finz and Featherz. It's a celebrity hunt service where we take people all over the world and teach them how to hunt and how to fill their freezers with some awesome organic wild game, and have a great time doing it. We launched the business in December of 2015 so this past year was our first full calendar year. We had an amazing turnout.

"This is living my dream," he added. "As a kid I never would have imagined this is the type of stuff I would be doing and I absolutely love it."

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