Following a stunning first round win over Myles Jury back in July, Chad Mendes reintroduced himself as one of the top featherweights in the world.

A two-time title contender in the past, Mendes has long been considered an elite fighter at 145 pounds but after more than two years away from the sport, he had something to prove in his return to action.

Now that’s behind him and Mendes is preparing for a showdown against top rated prospect Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. A win over the Australian would not only solidify Mendes’ ranking amongst the top five featherweight fighters in the world but it would put him back into title contention in 2019.

Mendes is one of the few fighters current champion Max Holloway hasn’t already thwarted on his impeccable 13 fight win streak and stylistically the former All-American wrestler could present an interesting challenge to the reigning featherweight king.

“To be the best you’ve got to beat the best and that’s definitely how it works,” Mendes told FloCombat about facing Holloway in the future. “It would be awesome to get in there and share the ring with Max. I love everything about Max. I love his fighting style, I love his demeanor, he’s a positive, good guy. I love Max.

“I think it would be cool to be able to get in there and fight one day so we’ll see.”

Considering the streak that Holloway has put together over the past few years including his recent title reign, Mendes knows being the fighter to dethrone him would be a huge feather in his cap.

That said, the talk lately surrounding Holloway has been a potential move up to lightweight for any number of huge fights including a rematch against Conor McGregor, who is the latest fighter to hand him a defeat five years ago.

As much as Mendes would like to see Holloway stick around featherweight so he could eventually face him, he would never begrudge the 27-year old Hawaiian from chasing fights that would undoubtedly add quite a few more zeroes to his bank account.

“I totally get it. It’s about that money and if there’s huge fights at 155, then it’s ultimately why we’re doing this,” Mendes said about Holloway. “We don’t like getting punched for free. If there’s big money fights and he’s going to go chase those, I’m sure he’ll come back down to featherweight eventually.

“If it’s time to get paid, it’s time to get paid.”

There’s been a growing discourse amongst some fighters who have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to challenge for a title only to see the champion move up or down a division to try and win a second world title.

The bantamweight division has been particularly hard hit by that lately as current champion T.J. Dillashaw is dropping down to 125 pounds to challenge Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title in January.

Mendes understands the frustration but says that everybody in this sport is going after either legacy or money or both and that’s just the direction that the UFC is taking lately.

“I feel like with the sport evolving and continuing to grow and it’s got to go somewhere,” Mendes explained. “This is just the avenue things are starting to take. It’s entertaining. Watching two guys who have been completely dominant in their divisions, stepping in and facing each other, it’s entertaining. People want to see that. It makes money.

“Obviously the UFC is all about that and us as fighters, we’re in it to make money. If that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”

As far as his own career goes, Mendes is just taking things one step at a time and the only concern facing him right now is beating Volkanovski on Dec. 29.

Once that’s done, Mendes has big plans for 2019 as he finally hopes to get back ino the hunt for the title.

“I think I match up really well with all the top guys,” Mendes said. “I feel like I can beat any of those guys on any given night. For me, it’s just not making any mistakes. Going through camp and making sure there’s no injuries, playing it smart and get those wins. Hopefully they can’t deny me and I’ll be fighting for that title soon.”