"You don't have to get ready when you stay ready" is a common saying in combat sports, and Chad Mendes is proof of the substance behind the cliche.
After suffering setbacks in his two attempts to dethrone featherweight king Jose Aldo from his long reign atop the 145-pound division, it appeared as if the Team Alpha Male staple would need to cover some serious real estate in his weight class before putting himself into title contention once again. Yet mixed martial arts is a sport where anything can happen and often does, and just when the Sacramento-based fighter was settling in to work his way back to the top, the opportunity of a lifetime came in a call from the UFC.