Chad Mendes won’t complain if Max Holloway makes the jump up to lightweight.

Mendes could easily find himself back in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title picture if he defeats Alex Volkanovski on Saturday night (Dec. 29) at UFC 232. “Money” is the fifth ranked UFC featherweight. Ahead of him is Renato Moicano, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, and Brian Ortega.

Chad Mendes Not Blaming “Blessed” If He Makes The Jump
Mendes has never shied away from elite competition. He recently told Damon Martin that he’d love to test himself against the UFC 145-pound king (via FloCombat):

“To be the best you’ve got to beat the best and that’s definitely how it works. It would be awesome to get in there and share the ring with Max. I love everything about Max. I love his fighting style, I love his demeanor, he’s a positive, good guy. I love Max. I think it would be cool to be able to get in there and fight one day so we’ll see.”

UFC president Dana White wants Holloway to move up to the lightweight division. If “Blessed” decides to move up to 155 pounds, Mendes would understand:

“I totally get it. It’s about that money and if there’s huge fights at 155, then it’s ultimately why we’re doing this. We don’t like getting punched for free. If there’s big money fights and he’s going to go chase those, I’m sure he’ll come back down to featherweight eventually. If it’s time to get paid, it’s time to get paid.”