After Wineland, Faber, UFC Fight Night 103's Frankie Saenz sticking with 'the best guys' for opponents

PHOENIX – When Frankie Saenz got the call for a home assignment on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 103 in his native Phoenix, he was understandably happy.

That the name on the other side of the contract wasn’t a former champion, and wasn’t someone with 30-plus fights on his resume had to be of some relief, as well.

Not that Augusto Mendes (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) isn’t a tough opponent for Saenz (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), but someone with one fight in the UFC and six MMA fights overall is a far cry from his past two foes – former WEC champs Eddie Wineland, who at the time had 33 pro fights, and Urijah Faber, who at the time had 40 pro fights.

“I’m always picking the best guys,” Saenz told MMAjunkie on Friday ahead of his next bantamweight bout, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. The main card airs on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. Saenz and Mendes are in the featured prelim slot on FS1.

“The best guy who I can fight, that’s who I want to fight next. I’m fighting Augusto on this card – they offered me the fight, and I wanted to fight here. I’m 36 years old. I’m here to test myself and I want to fight the best guys in the world. I feel like if I’m going to go out, I might as well go out fighting the best guys.”

That’s what Wineland and Faber represent; few would dispute that. Mendes took a short-notice fight against now-champ Cody Garbrandt nearly a year ago for his promotional debut and was knocked out in the first round.

So while Mendes may not be in that all-time great and former champion category, he’s not disputing the fight should be a competitive one. Saenz is a -165 favorite in the bout.

“I know he’s a tough guy, comes from a tough gym, and I’m not shy of going against a tough opponent,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting fight. He’s been training with The (MMA) Lab, and The Lab’s an elite team. They have great coaches, a bunch of great training partners, and I’m sure he’s working on everything. So I’ve got to expect the best Augusto Mendes on Sunday.”

What Saenz needs more than anything, regardless of who’s across from him in the cage, is a win. He picked up victories in his first three fights in the promotion, giving him seven straight wins over a three-year period before he ran into Faber at UFC 194 a little more than a year ago.

Now he’s hoping to add Mendes to his list of conquests – and he gets to try for it in front of what should be a friendly crowd, even though Mendes will have his share of local support, too.

“I’m back home, and I’ve always wanted to come back here and fight in front of my home fans,” Saenz said. “I’m just happy to be here, and enjoying the moment and soaking it all in right now.”

For more from Saenz ahead of his fight against Mendes, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.