Ricardo Lamas relishes underdog role

Despite being a former featherweight title contender, and one of the premier finishers at 145 pounds, Ricardo Lamas is a steep underdog against Chad Mendes.

Lamas, who faces Mendes at UFC Fight Night 63 on Saturday, is a 3-to-1 underdog in some places, which likely has a lot to do with how Mendes fared in his last bout with featherweight overlord Jose Aldo.

After being blown up by a scintillating knee at UFC 142 in 2012, Mendes went on a five-fight winning streak, and was narrowly defeated by Aldo via unanimous decision in a nip-tuck affair at UFC 179 last October.

Lamas, however, was less impressive in his bout with Aldo at UFC 169, losing a clear cut unanimous decision, with most of his meaningful offense coming late in the fight when Aldo, with the fight largely in hand, looked completely gassed out.

"In my last fight, I was the underdog," Lamas told MMAjunkie.com. "Probably 95 percent of my fights, I've been the underdog and people pick the other guy against me. It doesn't bother me at all. I know what I'm capable of, and that's all I need."

Mendes, likely the best 145-pounder walking the earth not nicknamed "Scarface," is probably just a smidge better than Lamas in pretty much every aspect of the game.

"I feel like I’m real strong for a 145-pounder," Lamas said. "Every fight I've been in, I felt like I was the stronger of the two. Mendes is a little powerhouse, also, so we'll just have to see on Saturday.

"Chad is a great fighter, and I think he's going to bring the best out of me, and vice versa. I'm the type of fighter who rises to the level of my opponent, so it's going to be a great fight."