Chad Mendes ends retirement, signs with BKFC
Former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes announced Wednesday he will join the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship on a multi-fight contract, ending his retirement.
"I just signed a big contract - I'm coming back to fighting," Mendes told "The Joe Rogan Experience."
He added: "But I'm not coming back to MMA. I've been seeing a lot of people's comments, and they're kind of hoping that I am. I'm coming back to boxing. I want to try something different."
It's the most lucrative deal of Mendes' career, MMA Junkie's John Morgan reports.
@ChadMendes WELCOME TO BKFC pic.twitter.com/gBIZ6e6Dp2
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) August 4, 2021
Mendes said he's hoping to make his BKFC debut Oct. 22 at 155 pounds against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
The 36-year-old fought 14 times in the UFC from 2011-18 after previously competing in the WEC, earning a 9-5 record inside the Octagon.
He most recently fought now-145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski in 2018, losing via second-round TKO.
Mendes was unsuccessful in all three of his UFC championship fights - losing against Jose Aldo in 2012 and again in 2014 for the undisputed featherweight title before falling to Conor McGregor in 2015 in an interim title bout.