Dana White and the UFC might be going down a slow, but slippery slope right now as their competition continues to sign talent away. Chad Mendes, a former top contender of the Featherweight division, has signed a deal with Bare Knuckle FC. According to Ariel Helwani, this is one of the biggest signings for the growing fighting organization to date.
Chad Mendes has signed a multi-fight deal with Bare Knuckle FC. Arguably their biggest signing to date. https://t.co/bVoKuZnNn8
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 4, 2021
At one point, Mendes was at the top of the list amongst the Featherweight rankings. However, since his loss to Conor McGregor, Mendes fell off the wagon for a bit. Of his last five fights in the UFC, Mendes has gone 2-3, suffering a knockout loss in all three bouts.
Mendes moving onto a different organization shouldn't be a surprise, as the talent in the UFC was becoming too great for him to handle. Even so, this signing isn't something Dana White should take lightly. Bare Knuckle FC has been growing in popularity in recent years. Paige VanZant was a popular name in the octagon and took her following to BKFC.
Mendes and VanZant haven't been the best fighters in the world recently, but they have a solid following amongst fight fans. BKFC has done a great job in acquiring popular names to generate their fan base. UFC is not the lone MMA organization in the world anymore, as multiple leagues have surfaced over the years.
It's only a matter of time before Dana White loses a big-name fighter to BKFC or some other organization. With the ongoing issues of pay distribution in the UFC, some fighters might be willing to take their talents elsewhere. We've recently witnessed AJ McFee rock the MMA world and earn the Featherweight title in an impressive win over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Bellator has a legitimate champion within their organization who should be able to draw more fight fans away from the UFC.
Mendes signing with Bare Knuckle FC is a big deal for this organization. He wasn't cutting it in the UFC anymore, and Dana White likely doesn't mind Chad Mendes leaving. However, this has the potential to create a snowball effect that sends multiple fighters away to different organizations. If Dana White isn't careful, he could lose one of the biggest names on his roster down the road.
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