It’s not easy being the world’s clear No. 2 featherweight, especially when you already have two losses to the guy ranked a spot ahead of you.
But that’s where Chad Mendes, who made short work of fellow 145-pound standout Ricardo Lamas this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 63, finds himself.
He’s solidified his spot as the No. 2 featherweight in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings, right behind reigning featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo, who meets Conor McGregor on July 11 at UFC 189.
Mendes has no assurances he’ll face the winner of that fight, and officials may not be eager to book him against an opponent he’s already lost to twice before. Still, there’s no doubting Mendes is taking the right steps to get a third shot at Aldo if the champ beats McGregor this summer.
The rankings take into account a fighter's wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they've been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they're not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter's primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, fighters can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won't be ranked in a new weight class until they've had their first fight at that weight.