Yesterday afternoon (Sat., April 4, 2015), Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas slugged it out at UFC Fight Night 63 inside the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. In the very first round, Mendes scored a brutal knockout. Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweights Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas threw down yesterday afternoon (April 4, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 63 inside the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
Despite some serious improvement, Mendes ultimately was unsuccessful in his second bid to dethrone Jose Aldo. His impressive performance kept the opportunity for a third matchup open, but Lamas stood as an obstacle to Mendes' title hopes.
Lamas was also attempting to make the arduous climb back into the Octagon with "Scarface." He entered this fight coming off a pair of strong wins, and a victory over Mendes would definitely bolster his argument for a rematch.
Early on, Lamas looked to capitalize on his reach advantage by circling around Mendes and firing off kicks. For a couple minutes, things were going well for "The Bully", as Mendes missed on his first couple kick attempts.
Then, "Money" closed the distance and pinned Lamas against the fence. With nowhere to go, Lamas threw his right hand. Mendes did the same but slipped at the same time, causing his punch to land while Lamas' missed.
That right hand -- the first punch Mendes had landed -- rocked Lamas badly, causing him to slump onto the mat. Mendes pursued him with punches, and though Lamas was able to get back to his feet a couple of times, he never really recovered.
Before long, it was getting ugly, as Mendes pounded away at his tumbling opponent with heavy punches. Mercifully, the ref finally stopped the bout after Mendes gave him a look of disbelief while standing over Lamas' barely moving frame.
This was a picture-perfect fight for the Team Alpha Male product. He mentioned in the post-fight interview that he wanted to find his range and gauge Lamas' speed, and after he did so, it took just a single strike to send Lamas to the mat. That's scary power in any division.
Almost enough to make fans forget about his decorated wrestling background.
At this point, Mendes' next fight will be determined by the winners of McGregor vs. Aldo and Edgar vs. Faber. There's a chance he fights for the strap in his next bout, but he may end up in a title eliminator as well. It's too early to tell.
This is a pretty devastating loss for Lamas. While he lost to Aldo, he did go the full 25 minutes and had a couple of good moments in the title fight. In this bout however, he was put in the ground before the fight ever really got going by his opponent's first landed punch.
That's a tough pill to swallow.
Despite the loss, Lamas remains a top featherweight. He'll likely face another contender coming off a loss in his next bout, such as the loser of Cub Swanson vs. Max Holloway. Alternatively, there's some heat between him and McGregor if the Irishman fails to dethrone Aldo in July.
At UFC Fight Night 63, Chad Mendes flattened Ricardo Lamas in just a few minutes. Can the Team Alpha Male-trained fighter earn a UFC title next?
For complete UFC Fight Night 63 "Mendes vs Lamas" results and play-by-play, click HERE.
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