Mendes said after the fight that he hurt his hand in the first round, which led to him changing his gameplan up. Yahya had little to offer against Mendes, with a striking game that consisted of low-percentage kicks and the occasional right hook thrown in. His takedowns were completely ineffective as well. The fight was the first bout on the Spike portion of the broadcast.
What was the high spot of this fight?
I'm not sure there was one. Some might say it was Mendes' front flip guard-pass attempt with four seconds to go in the fight, but I thought it was pretty lame to be honest.
Where do these guys go from here?
Mendes would appear to have solidified his grasp on the next available title shot in the UFC featherweight division. If his hand doesn't keep him out for an extended period of time, he will likely face the winner of the UFC 136 title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Kenny Florian. Despite a less-than-exciting performance, the division is pretty shallow and he's the best challenger available right now.
Yahya is in a tough spot. He is now 1-3 in his last four fights in under the Zuffa banner (two of those fights took place in the WEC) and didn't look competitive at all against Mendes. If they're strictly judging his UFC record when it comes to whether he stays or not, he'll likely get another chance. If not, he could very well be sent packing. He also needs to consider if he's a better fighter at 135 or 145.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Never. This fight was not very entertaining at all, unless you like brutal takedown attempts and one man throwing another around like a ragdoll for 15 minutes.
More BE coverage of UFC 133 in the full entry.
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort's Illegal Finish Met With Shocking Ignorance - Leland Roling
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort's Back of the Head Shots and Nonsensical Outrage - KJ Gould
UFC 133 Results: Five Fights to Make - Mike Fagan
UFC 133: Why We Love Tito Ortiz, and Why the UFC Needs Him - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 133 Results: Where Do We Go From Here? - Matthew Roth
UFC 133: The Sweet Stench of Homophobia - Mike Fagan
UFC 133 Results: Rashad Evans' Beats Up Tito Ortiz and More Post-Hangover Thoughts - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 133 Results: Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
UFC 133 Results: Rashad Evans Stops Tito Ortiz by Punishment - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Vitor Belfort Stops Yoshihiro Akiyama in the First - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Brian Ebersole Beats the Pants off of Dennis Hallman - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Constantinos Philippou Scores a Split Decision Over Jorge Rivera - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Rory MacDonald Pounds Mike Pyle to a First Round Stoppage - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Alexander Gustafsson Mauls Matt Hamill in the Second - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Chad Mendes Puts On A Clinic Against Rani Yahya - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Ivan Menjivar Edges a Decision Over Nick Pace - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Johny Hendricks Wins the Wrestling Match against Mike Pierce - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Mike Brown Outwrestles Nam Phan to a Decision Win - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Results: Rafael Natal Punishes Paul Bradley to a Decision Win - Bloody Elbow
UFC 133 Post-Fight Press Conference Video and Updates - Bloody Elbow