Chad Mendes retires from MMA; featherweight says he has 'no regrets'

Tom Gatto

Chad Mendes retires from MMA; featherweight says he has 'no regrets' image

Chad Mendes said Tuesday that he's putting the gloves down for good.

Mendes announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, first to ESPN's Brett Okamoto and then to the public.

He told Okamoto that he came to his decision while he was taking time away from the sport.

"I have no regrets," he told Okamoto. "I've had an amazing time."

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Mendes, 34, is stepping away with an 18-5 record as a professional (9-5 UFC). He lost four of his last six fights, including his most recent bout, a TKO defeat to Alexander Volkanovski in December at UFC 232.

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He fought three times for the UFC featherweight title and lost all three bouts — twice to Jose Aldo and once to Conor McGregor.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.