Wrestling and USA to Rule With Mendes Win
Chad ‘Money’ Mendes will rematch current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo for the title at the end of the month. If on Oct. 25., Mendes dethrones the longtime 145-pound king, seven of nine current divisions in the UFC would be owned by fighters with wrestling pedigrees.
The only two champions without a competitive wrestling background would be women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and the men’s lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis.
UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is a two-time All-American in wrestling and junior college national champion for Iowa Central Community College.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones: NJCAA All-American out of Iowa Central Community College.
UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman: Two-time NCAA Div I All-American for Hofstra University.
UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks: Four-time All-American at Oklahoma.
UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw: Two-time All State (CIF). Ranked 10th nationally his senior year in college.
UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson: Two-time All State wrestler in high school. Did not wrestle at collegiate level.
Also with a possible Mendes win all champions on the UFC roster would be Americans. Aldo, a Brazilian is the lone title holder outside the U.S.
Aldo won the first fight with a knockout with just one second left in the very first round back at 142 in 2012.
UFC 179 goes down in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
