Vazquez Calls Praise for Mendes ‘Hype by Association’

Despite Chad Mendes’ solid amateur wrestling pedigree and 8-0 start in MMA, WEC 52 opponent Javier Vazquez isn’t buying into the view that Mendes is one of the top prospects in the sport.

“I think he’s got a lot of hype by association,” Vazquez said Monday on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I think he definitely comes from a very good team. I think he’s very talented, but I don’t think he has the experience. To be quite honest, I’ve watched his WEC fights, and he didn’t look like anything spectacular to me.”

Mendes was a two-time All-American wrestler at Cal Poly. He finished runner-up in the 2008 NCAA finals, and that same year he began training with Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male, an association that Vazquez believes has garnered attention for the young fighter. This year Mendes has gone 3-0 in the WEC, but Vazquez remains unimpressed.

“I think he’s going to [strike] and possibly try to steal rounds using his takedowns possibly at the end of every round,” Vazquez said of what he expects from Mendes in their Nov. 11 featherweight bout. “I mean, big deal. To me, if he’s taking me down, he’s doing me a favor.”

Vazquez, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, has been preparing for Mendes with the help of a lightweight known for a stifling top game: Antonio McKee.

“I’ve never felt anybody [McKee’s] size put as much pressure down as he does,” Vazquez said. “I’m very comfortable with a guy on top of me trying to strike and trying to hold me. [Mendes] is not going to bring anything new to the table that I haven’t seen before in camp.”

On the other hand, Vazquez doesn’t think his style can be mimicked in Mendes’ camp. He considers his bottom game unique, and certainly not something Mendes can prepare for just by watching film or climbing on top of a conventional grappler.

“He can bring in as many jiu-jitsu guys into camp as he wants,” Vazquez said. “He can bring in all the world champions he wants, but there’s only one Javier Vazquez.”

Vazquez also criticized what he expects to be Mendes’ game plan: win a decision.

“I know he’s not trying to finish me,” he said. “I know he’s going to try to survive and pray to God I get tired. That’s what he’s going to try to do. And if he does try to finish me, he’s going to get caught. Guaranteed.”

As confident as he is in his own ability to finish the fight, Vazquez is critical of Mendes’ options. The 25-year-old Mendes has won multiple fights with submissions and punches. However, Vazquez, a 12-year veteran of professional MMA, doubts either is likely in their matchup.

“We’ll find out how good he is,” Vazquez said. “He’s got to prove to me that he’s better than me, and I just don’t think he’s going to. I don’t think he can do it. I really, really don’t think he can do it. I don’t think he’s got the experience. He definitely doesn’t have any way he can finish me. He’s got one guillotine and the possibility of a cut. Aside from that, I don’t think he can hurt me. As long as I’m not hurt, I’m in the fight and I’ve got plenty of ways to beat him. That’s a fact.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:10:00) with Vazquez, who also discussed his desire for a title shot, his new five-fight contract and the WEC-UFC merger.