Mendes wins by TKO in one-sided BKFC debut

Chad Mendes is back.

The former UFC title challenger came out of retirement and stepped into the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ring for the first time Saturday, defeating Joshua Alvarez by TKO at the 1:34 mark of the fourth round.

This was Mendes' first combat sports appearance since December 2018. He retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 and announced in 2021 that he was returning to compete in bare-knuckle fighting.

He dominated Alvarez from start to finish, scoring four knockdowns before the referee finally waved off the contest in the fourth frame.

Mendes is one of the top featherweights in UFC history, having challenged for the undisputed title twice against Jose Aldo and the interim belt once against Conor McGregor.

The 36-year-old said recently he's still under contract with the UFC and is unsure whether he'll return to MMA.

Alvarez dropped to 0-2 in the Bare Knuckle FC ring.