Chad Mendes is taking his career one fight at a time, after being tempted out of retirement by BKFC with an offer he couldn’t refuse. The former UFC featherweight title challenger admits he wasn’t looking to compete again after retiring in 2018, but jumped at the opportunity to pick up an impressive win in his bare-knuckle debut.

After which, he stood at the crossroads once more, with businesses and investments to keep him busy. But the offer of another big payday from BKFC, this time to fight former UFC lightweight champion and MMA legend Eddie Alvarez, was too good to pass up.

Mendes is thankful for the bigger paydays he is receiving now after only seeing them intermittently during his UFC career. He acknowledges his family’s concerns over the dangers of fighting, but age will not be a factor for him when he takes on Alvarez. “I didn’t leave the UFC because I felt like I was done or too old, I was still fighting and competing with the best guys in the world,” he said.

While Mendes can’t say for sure if this will be his last fight, he admits that winning and retiring after beating Alvarez would be a fantastic way to bow out. He’s ready to test Alvarez’s chin, wary that the forty-two-year-old fighter may no longer be able to weather the punishing shots he has taken in his long career.