Exactly one year will have passed since his last fight when Augusto Mendes faces off against tough bantamweight prospect Merab Dvalishvili near Dvalishvili’s home territory on April 21 at UFC Atlantic City. And the stakes will be high for the Rio de Janeiro native.
A decorated jiu-jitsu player, Mendes has been sidelined since suffering a hard-fought decision loss to Aljamain Sterling in April 2017. “Tanquinho” was subsequently supposed to meet Boston Salmon last October at UFC Sao Paulo, but was forced to withdraw from the contest after tearing a ligament in his ankle in training.