Augusto Mendes isn’t interested in settling for just any spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight rankings.
Mendes was finished by current bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in his UFC debut, but “Tanquinho” rebounded nicely. Mendes took a split decision win over Frankie Saenz in his next bout and earned a “Fight of the Night” bonus.
On April 15, Mendes will be matched up against Aljamain Sterling. A win would help Mendes get closer to his goal of becoming a top five bantamweight (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I actually don’t feel that comfortable. Considering the plan I have for myself, I want to win. I can’t slack off, thinking it’s OK if I lose. I want to win. I want to finish the year among the top five. Depending on how I win, maybe even fight for the title. I’m not comfortable. I want to prove I can beat these guys so I can advance in the promotion. I don’t know, depending on who I fight, and if I have a good performance. Say I’m able to submit Sterling, and then maybe I get another top-five (opponent) and perform well, and win well, I believe I might have a shot. We’ll see. Especially since the only guy who beat me is the current champ.”
