Chad Mendes expects takedowns to come pretty easy vs. Diego Brandao

ABU DHABI – Chad Mendes sees his wrestling playing a big role at ADXC 5.

Former multiple-time UFC title challenger Mendes takes on Season 14 “Ultimate Fighter” winner Diego Brandao in a no-gi grappling match Friday in Abu Dhabi.

Brandao wasn’t Mendes’ original opponent. The Team Alpha Male fighter was initially booked against Kevin Lee, who withdrew. Then he was linked to a top-ranked UFC lightweight before Brandao jumped in.

The last-second change had Mendes sweating for a moment.

“I was excited about it,” Mendes told MMA Junkie. “Honestly, I didn’t really care who my opponent was. Just coming out here has been something on my bucket list for a long time. So, getting to come out here and do something I absolutely love, which is grapple, I mean, it’s a win-win for me. So, I honestly didn’t care. I was a little nervous that it was going to fall through.

“Because originally it was Kevin Lee, then he backed out, and they had (Beneil) Dariush for a little bit, and then he backed out, and then it ended up becoming Diego. So, after the second backout, I was like, I think this is going to fall through and then ended up getting word that Diego’s making it. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to make it out here, so we’re happy to be here.”

Mendes, a former NCAA Division 1 wrestler, plans on dictating the pace but knows he has to be wary of Brandao’s sneaky jiu-jitsu skills.

“The takedowns are going to be something that are probably going to come pretty easy for me,” Mendes said. “I don’t know how much he’s going to be able to deal with on the feet either pulling guard or getting taken down and pulling guard from there, and holding is probably something he’s going to do a lot of. So, something we’ve worked on is just solid guard passes, being safe there.

“I know he’s got some explosive armbars off his back, so he’s the type of jiu-jitsu guy that will kind of play slow, play slow and then explode into things, which is very similar to my style also. So, just knowing that, I have to be careful and just be super aware that, at any time, if I feel like I’m getting into a position that could be dangerous, he could be exploding into something at any time.”