Chad Mendes vs Rani Yahya — Fight recap

Chad Mendes earned a unanimous decision victory over Rani Yahya across three rounds on August 6, 2011, showcasing a dominant wrestling-based approach. Mendes landed 35 significant strikes at 48% accuracy while successfully executing all five takedown attempts, controlling the cage for 4:44 of the bout.

Yahya struggled to find his range, connecting on just 15 significant strikes from 87 attempts for a 17% clip and failed to land any takedowns while registering zero control time. The wrestling disparity proved decisive; Mendes controlled the fight's pace and positioning throughout, mixing leg strikes (12 of 25) with head strikes (20 of 42) while Yahya remained largely ineffective on the feet and unable to establish his grappling game.

The performance solidified Mendes' reputation as a technical wrestler capable of dictating fights against submission-oriented opponents.