After over a year away from combat sports, Chad Mendes returned to the fight game on Sunday.
The three-time UFC title challenger is currently serving a two-year suspension after failing an out-of-competition USADA drug test on May 17 2016. He tested positive for the banned substance GHRP-6, a growth-hormone peptide, which he claimed came from a skin cream he was using to treat plaque psoriasis.
He will not be allowed to enter the Octagon again until May 17 2018 at the earliest, and he has been removed from the official UFC rankings due to the suspension.
However, he has found another outlet for his competitive fighting spirit while he waits on the sidelines.
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Mendes returned to fighting on Sunday in a grappling match against decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jeff Glover at Submission Underground 3.
The promotion adheres to the Eddie Bravo Invitational Rules, meaning that both fighters duke it out for 10 minutes to try and score the submission. Striking is not permitted.
Neither Mendes nor Glover could force the tap within the time limit, so the bout went to overtime rounds.
After the coin toss, Glover went on the offence first. Starting from the back position, he went to work on the rear-naked choke, forcing a quick tap after just 35 seconds.
Mendes had no time to mull over the finish as it was then his turn to go on the attack. He had to beat Glover's lightning quick finish time in order to win the bout, but pressure creates diamonds. When he was really up against it, Mendes produced a real gem of a finish to force the tap after just eight seconds.
Commentator Chael Sonnen was bamboozled by the huge upset of a UFC fighter with no official BJJ belt submit such a decorated grappler. His response to the result was "you just ruined grappling."
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