Chad Mendes continued his vicious assault on the featherweight division, capping off his fourth consecutive win by knockout with a brutal third round TKO victory over the tough as nails Clay Guida.
Clay Guida came out with his usual frenetic style as he hopped and bobbed all over the cage toward Chad Mendes. Mendes took his time establishing his pace, but turned up the heat with combinations as the round wore on. Mendes locked up a guillotine during a scramble but Guida managed to work free and resume his high paced attack on the feet. Mendes dipped in for a late takedown and landed short, grinding elbows as time ran out on the first round.
Guida marched forward to kick off the second but had trouble connecting with his strikes as Mendes used sound footwork to avoid damage. A jumping kick to the groin from Guida halted the action for a short time, but within seconds, Mendes was ready to go. Mendes continued to keep his record perfect avoiding takedowns in the octagon, while earning two of his own and punishing Guida with knees to the body on the break, taking a sizable lead into the final round.
Mendes halted the forward progress of Guida to start the final round with a staggering right hand. Guida survived for the moment but it was another powerful right hand that sent Guida reeling to the canvas. Mendes continued to land with power shots, forcing the referee stoppage just 30 seconds into the round.
The win for Chad Mendes (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) marks his fourth consecutive win by knockout, with his only career loss coming to current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.