Officiating issues in past, Chad Mendes optimistic about Aldo rematch at UFC 176

(This story first appeared in Tuesday’s USA TODAY.)

Just before Chad Mendes sets in for a newly announced rematch with UFC featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo, he and his camp plan to have a word with the third man in the cage.

“We’re definitely going to be watching that cage grab,” he tells USA TODAY Sports. “I’m going to be telling the referee, ‘Watch that. I am going to be putting him on his ass.’”

Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), 29, can’t be sure the outcome of his first fight with Aldo (24-1, 6-0) would’ve been different had the champ not committed a foul in their meeting at UFC 142. But he wants to make sure nothing interferes with their second meeting, which headlines UFC 176 on Aug. 2 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

Two years ago, Aldo knocked out Mendes with a knee after spinning out of his clutches in the first round. Moments before the fighting-ending blow, the 27-year-old Brazilian champ avoided a takedown when he grabbed the fence as Mendes hoisted him in the air. Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki issued a verbal warning for the illegal move, but he didn’t deduct a point.

“In my mind, that played a big role (in the loss),” Mendes says. “There was one second left in that round, and obviously (the knockout) wouldn’t have happened, because the time left would have been me on top of him.”

Yamasaki has been criticized for not penalizing other fighters, but officials aren’t the only ones chastised when rules are broken. At this past month’s UFC 172, light heavyweight champ Jon Jones was criticized for repeatedly eye-poking title challenger Glover Teixeira. UFC President Dana White is never hesitant to point out bad officiating, though he said Jones’ flak stems from spiteful fans.

Referees, though, get the most backlash. Former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar once asked the Nevada State Athletic Commission to scratch referee Steve Mazzagatti as a candidate to ref his UFC 91 fight with Randy Couture because of a previous officiating controversy, and UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock said he didn’t want high-profile ref Herb Dean to work his third bout with Tito Ortiz in 2006.

Mendes says he won’t request another official to oversee his rematch and thinks Yamasaki will be more on the lookout for fence-grabbing if he is assigned to the rematch. But whoever takes the job, he’ll make sure to issue a reminder backstage before the fight.

Will he find a sympathetic ear? Despite repeated controversies over fouls, Dean believes MMA refereeing is getting better.

“I think it’s something we’re always working on,” he says. “The fouls that we used to have before, we’re not seeing as much.”

In the end, though, Mendes might not even need to get the fight to the mat.

“The first fight, Chad’s whole game plan was to take Aldo down,” his manager, Mike Roberts, says. “Now, Chad gets to decide where it gets to go, and he’s just as confident standing up as he is on the ground.”

More boldly, the challenger predicts: “I think I’m going to be the one to knock Jose Aldo out.”

For the latest on UFC 176, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.