Thur sday, October 2 3, 20 14
Volume L X X I X , Number 12
w w w.mus t angne w s .net
PHOTO ILLUSTR ATION BY JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS WAKE UP | The summer’s events served as a “wakeup call” for Athletics, Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman said. Now, the university is testing approximately 50 students every other week, compared to 41 all of last year.
Cal Poly Athletics amps up drug testing Jessica Burger Special to Mustang News
After receiving a 24-hour notice, senior Cal Poly football players Brandon Howe and Kenny Mitchell showed up to Crandall Gym at 6 a.m. on a school day, 20 minutes before practice. They walked into a bathroom stall, pulled down their pants and peed into a cup — all in the company of a stranger. But the ritual is nothing new to most Cal Poly student-athletes, as random drug tests are administered through the year. A troubled summer When five Cal Poly football players were arrested this summer for an
alleged armed robbery at the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house, suspicions that the incident was drug-related forced Cal Poly Athletics to re-evaluate its drug testing system. The policy has not changed, but Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman said the frequency of testing has increased. The goal is to find out whether there is a drug problem in athletics. "Once we found out about (the incident), it was probably a little bit of shock on our part," Oberhelman said. "We just couldn't believe that something like that would happen. And then we heard the rumors that it might be possible that money was being owed for drugs, or something along those lines. And to be honest, that's still a little bit blurry. We don't know and we probably won't know until the police
Blue-Green Rivalry continues this weekend
report is released." The five players were arrested and later released on bail. Currently, they await their Jan. 12 preliminary hearing. “Once we heard (drugs) could be a part of it was when we began the steps and said, ‘You know what, we need to amp up our drug testing program and see if we do have a deeper problem than we would have ever realized,’” Oberhelman said. “I think the best of our students, and I wouldn’t have thought that this would be an issue. So one of the reasons we’re doing the testing is to find that out.” >>
see DRUGS, pg 3.
Cal Poly unit caps still uncertain, no
response from Chancellor's Office
K ATIE ULLRICH | MUSTANG NE WS RIVALRY | The Cal Poly women’s soccer team will defend its home turf against the Gauchos (8-7-2, 2-4-0 Big West Conference).
The Cal Poly men's and women's soccer teams both tangle with UC Santa Barbara this weekend. The men's squad (8-4-3, 3-2-1 Big West Conference) will travel to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night, while the women (9-8-0, 4-2-0) host the Gauchos in Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Sunday. Junior forward Chase Minter has been in great form of late, notching four goals in his last four games. The Mustangs look to continue their three-game winning streak against their rivals, who, despite handing No. 3 UC Irvine its first loss of the season, are winless in their last four matches. On the women's side, junior forward Elise Krieghoff and sophomore forward Megan Abutin will look to continue their attacking dominance. Krieghoff leads the Mustangs with 13 goals, and is also one goal away from sole possesion of first-place on the all-time goals list. Abutin, with 11 assists this year, is just one away from tying the Cal Poly single-season record. The men's match kicks off at 7 p.m and the women's match begins at noon.
The Audio Files: Volume II Danielle Bonnet @kcpr913
If you haven’t heard, Spotify named Cal Poly the most musically diverse university in the United States. What this means is that here at Cal Poly, we listen to the widest variety of musical genres of all universities in the nation. We are a musically appreciative and respectfel group of people, and this is something to be extremely proud of. But have you ever wondered how each of us arrived upon our diverse musical taste? The three things I believe most influence our music taste are familiarity, intelligence and active listening. In this article I will share examples and offer you personal insight to explain your own musical preference. >>
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BYJOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NEWS RAISIN’ THE CAP | Instead of cutting down engineering and sciencebased majors down to the CSU-mandated 180 unit cap, Cal Poly is attempting to raise the programs’ cap to 192 units.
Sophia Levin @sophiamlevin
Four months and still nothing. The CSU (California State University) Chancellor’s Office is still in the process of reviewing requests to raise unit caps for engineering and science-based majors at Cal Poly. The backstory In 2013, the Chancellor’s Office issued an amendment on a California Code of Regulation Law — Title 5 — where CSU campuses in the quarter system were expected to standardize all major unit counts to 180 units. After the amendment, programs with high unit counts faced tough decisions between cutting general education classes or cutting technical major classes. According to CSU Academic Senate representative James LoCascio, to avoid cutting either general education or major classes to meet the cap, the unit ceiling has to be raised from the 180 cap to 198 units. “The 198 units allows Cal Poly to not cut out GEs at all,” he said. The Cal Poly faculty largely supported this idea, and a 198-unit cap for engineering programs was approved by the CSU Academic Senate last year as an exception to the 180-unit rule. The senate sent this waiver of request — a document requesting a program's exception to the unit cap — to the Chancellor's Office. The waivers were sent in March. Cal Poly has not heard back. >>
DYL AN SUN | MUSTANG NE WS TOP HIT | Spotify recently named Cal Poly the “most musical” university in the nation. Danielle Bonnet of KCPR is here to tell us why.
see KCPR, pg 4.
see UNIT CAP, pg 2.
News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-5 | Opinion... 6 | Classifieds... 7 | Sports... 8
Thursday, October 23, 2014
NEWS | 2
McMillan,football players appear in court
SAMANTHA PRYOR | MUSTANG NE WS L AW A N D O R D E R
| B oth McMillan and the five football players—Cameron Akins, Dominique Love, Kristaan Ivor y, Cortland Fort and Jake Brito—had appearances in court this week.
Brooke Sperbeck & Samantha Pryor @brookesperbeck7 & @samanthapryor94
Former Delta Sigma Phi President Gear McMillan and the five Cal Poly football players who allegedly attempted to rob the Delta Sigma Phi house made court appearances this week. McMillan McMillan pled not guilty for charges of two drug-related felonies at his arraignment at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Tuesday.
UNIT CAP continued from pg 1. The unit cap today “There was supposed to be an answer; there wasn’t an answer,” LoCascio said. “I’ve been told now for the past four months that the waivers now are all in the Chancellor’s Office. And the chancellor himself hasn’t decided what to do.” According to LoCascio, the fate of the waivers depends on the chancellor. “The chancellor can say in
the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, ‘I grant all the waivers’ … or not,” LoCascio said. In their waivers, the Cal Poly engineering and science-based programs asked for a 192-unit cap at the provost’s request as opposed to 198, the cap the Academic Senate originally wanted. Mechanical engineering was an exception, requesting 198. LoCascio said that was the true problem — faculty not having a say in how high or low
McMillan was arrested Aug. 10 and charged with possession of marijuana for sale as well as possession and sale of a controlled substance after the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) obtained a search warrant and found illegal drugs in the fraternity house. The judge set McMillan’s pre-preliminary hearing for Nov. 20. McMillan will remain out of custody on the $25,000 bail he posted, the judge said. McMillan’s lawyer, Robert McMahon of Laguna Beach, appeared in
court with him.
the unit caps may be. “Faculty members have absolutely no power over anything at the university except for their curriculum,” Locascio said. “It’s painful that the dean or the provost should tell us what’s best for our students, but they have. It’s not easy.” Chair of the Academic Senate Gary Laver was fine with major programs wanting to alter their unit caps. “Raising some caps are within reason, and that’s fine,” he said. “The programs that have been
the mechanical engineering department is four years and two quarters. That’s not a big deal in my mind. And we’ve done things to try and limit their time here. We have a robust exchange program with Germany, we encourage our kids to go there. They will lose some units. But the experience is invaluable. So I don’t really understand this big rush to get kids out of here in four years or less. What’s the point?” Other CSUs have already begun to face the challenges of
requested have been signed off by the administration and have been sent for review. That’s where it stands.” The 180-unit limit was partly enacted to raise graduation rates. But according to Locascio, it is important for engineering departments in particular to have higher units because they are more time-dense disciplines by nature. “I’m not saying that students should graduate in 10 years, or even six years,” LoCascio said. “I think the average in
Football players The football players’ pre-preliminary hearing took place at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court. The men’s attorneys requested a preliminary hearing for Jan. 12. Judge Donald G. Umhofer approved the hearing date and also granted another pre-preliminary hearing Jan. 5 at 8:30 a.m. upon the attorney’s request.
lowering unit counts. Schools such as San Jose State and Long Beach State have dealt with such a transition. To meet the unit cap, they have cut back on general education requirements by including guest lectures by professors in philosophy and English departments in the universities’ engineering classes. But because the general education faculty supports the 198unit cap, LoCascio said he does not think a lower unit cap will be enforced at Cal Poly.
Thursday, October 23, 2014 DRUGS continued from pg 1. With more than 500 studentathletes, Cal Poly has been administering an average of 50 drug tests every two weeks this year. Last year saw only 41 tests administered throughout the entire school year. “In the past, we didn’t do it as frequently as we should have,” Oberhelman said. “Now we are doing it as frequently as we possibly can.” As the amount of drug tests increases, so does the cost. The money comes straight from the Cal Poly Athletics fund. Each test can cost anywhere from $50-125, depending on which groups of drugs are selected to test for. A test for anabolic steroids runs more expensive than a test for
marijuana, cocaine or the prescription drug Adderall. Illegal prescription drug use, Oberhelman said, is an area Cal Poly is concerned about and is testing for this year. The school contracts with Drug-Free Sport, an outside agency also used at major athletic events and tournaments by the NCAA. The agency uses a software program — all the student-athletes’ names are submitted and the software chooses at random which to test. A change of pace Howe, an agricultural business senior and fullback, reflected on his experience. “It’s just you and one other person,” he said. “They ask you to drop your pants and underwear to make sure that
NEWS | 3 there’s no fishy business going on, and they watch you while you provide the sample.” Howe and Mitchell — who are both in their final season — were instructed not to drink anything past midnight to provide a urine sample at an acceptable concentration. They were also told not to use the bathroom after they woke up that morning. “This year has been a big change,” Howe said. “Now, we are getting drug tested a lot more than usual. I tend to stay away from that kind of thing, so it hasn’t really affected me personally, but I think it’s a great thing for the team and the Cal Poly athletic community — we get a free education, so we should be held to a higher standard.” Mitchell, a civil engineer-
ing s enior and r unning back, agreed. “It’s not what we’re about here at Cal Poly, and it’s a good reason for people to say no,” he said. “Say you’re at a party, and somebody hands you something — you know it’s the perfect excuse to say no.” In the past, Mitchell and Howe only remember being tested by NCAA administers. “This year, Cal Poly is doing its own tests, testing for street drugs and stuff like that,” Mitchell said. “That’s kind of a big change this year.” Consequences So what happens when a student-athlete tests positive for drugs? According to Oberhelman, the consequences are similar to a three-strike rule. At the bare
minimum, after the first violation, the student has to attend mandatory counseling and drug education classes. They are also subject to every drug test administered afterward. After a second offense, the player is automatically suspended for 25 percent of their team’s season. After a third dirty test, they’re gone. “A single test is a violation of our teams’ rules,” Oberhelman said. “So the coach has the right to remove somebody from scholarship or the team as they see fit.” He likes the policy as it stands. “I think we’d miss an opportunity to teach, versus just casting somebody aside for a mistake,” he said. “I’d rather we take the opportunity to educate somebody about their
DIRTY DRUG TESTS Cal Poly Athletics’ protocol is similar to a three-strike rule
decisions, how they impact others, how they impact their team and how they impact their future here at Cal Poly. Because if you just kick somebody out, then they probably didn’t learn anything other than the fact that they’d made a mistake. And their behavior is probably just going to just stay the same.” Oberhelman said the unruly behavior of the former student-athletes last August came as a wake-up call for the athletics drug-testing protocol. “Illegal use of prescription drugs is rampant with your age group, and that’s something that we’ve been ve r y c on c e r n e d ab out ,” Oberhelman said. “We’ve been (drug testing) about every other week, and it’s going to last for quite some time.”
see the full multimedia story on mustangnews.net
STRIKE 1:
STRIKE 2:
STRIKE 3:
When a studentathlete tests positive on a drug test, they must attend mandatory counseling, along with drug education courses. They are also subject to any subsequent drug test.
After a second positive test result, the student-athlete is benched for 25 percent of their team’s season.
The student-athlete is cut from the team and removed from the program. For many, this means losing scholarship money.
GR APHIC BY JESSICA BURGER AND K AYL A MISSMAN
Thursday, October 23, 2014
ARTS | 4 KCPR continued from pg 1. 1. Familiarity In basic terms, we like the music we’ve heard many times before. Say your parents played classic rock around the house while you were growing up. You will likely forever hold a soft spot in your heart for Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon, despite the album being released 20 years prior to your existence. There is a good chance you would have never listened to classic rock had your parents not familiarized you with the genre. The same goes for the music our friends, neighbors or employers play. Since we become so familiar with these types of music, we learn to love the music that surrounds us. This reasoning also applies to how pop became so popular. Right now, I can't go five feet without hearing Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” This familiarity made me learn the lyrics to this song word for word, whether I wanted to or not. This is why there’s been a recent trend of sampling choruses and beats from formerly successful pop songs.
For example, in Nikki Minaj’s new song “Anaconda,” she generously samples Sir Mix-a-Lot’s classic song “Baby Got Back” (which coincidently also sampled another song called “Technicolor” by Channel One). When hearing “Anaconda,” we listeners are already so familiar with the beat and chorus that Nicki Minaj could say literally anything over it, which of course is what she does, and we would still love her song. 2. Intelligence Believe it or not, the artist and music genres you actively listen to can actually predict your intelligence level. A study comparing students' SAT scores to their music tastes found a correlation between test performance and students’ favorite artists. Students who favored Lil Wayne got the lowest scores compared to everyone else. No offense, but if you are a huge fan of the Shrimp Daddy, you are also likely a few bricks short of a full wall in the intelligence spectrum. Alternatively, if you are a huge fan of Beethoven: Congratulations. Odds are you have a big ol’ noggin and are, in fact, a genius. Hardcore listeners of classical music scored the highest on
DYL AN SUN | MUSTANG NE WS DJ DANIMALS | KCPR DJ Danielle Bonnet (DJ name Danimals) hosts a show every Thursday at 4 p.m.
the SAT exam. Additionally, if you are a big fan of Sublime, Kanye West, Modest Mouse or Bob Marley — good going, you are all beautifully average individuals. My reasoning for this trend between intelligence and music is based on how our brains perceive the melodic line and chord progressions in a song. The melody in Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” is just about as simple as they come, making it very easy for the brain to predict what is coming next in the song. Our brains like to achieve song prediction and release satisfaction as dopamine if the prediction is correct. Meanwhile, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is an extremely complex piece and contains many different components and harmony changes that are very difficult to predict. Therefore it takes an active brain to predict and enjoy all the changes that occur throughout the symphony. 3. Active listening Active listening combines a bit of familiarity and intelligence in the form of song prediction.
If for some bizarre reason you wanted to get into the genre of yodeling, all you would have to do is actively listen to songs from that genre continually. At first, you wouldn’t really appreciate this music, but after repeated listening you would slowly grow to love the songs and genre by actively becoming familiar with it and teaching your brain to predict the harmonies and melodies common to yodeling. Next thing you know, you’ll be hopping on a plane to head out to the triennial yodeling festival in Switzerland to get your fix. This type of listening is perhaps the most rewarding because it is not something that comes naturally, and it requires work to appreciate these pieces. In the end, you begin to like something you never thought you could, consequently expanding your musical taste. That is why I encourage all of us to continue being the musically diverse individuals we are now known to be. Keep on actively listening to unfamiliar genres and artists and continuing to expand your musical diversity and complexity.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
ARTS | 5
Local vendors get crafty at Central Coast Handmade Market
TREVOR MELODY | MUSTANG NE WS POTPOURRI | Vendors from the Central Coast offered various handmade goods, such as home decorations.
Trevor Melody @T_Mels
Artists from all over the San Luis Obispo area gathered in Templeton this past weekend for the annual Central Coast Handmade Market. More than 21 vendors from as far north as King City and as far south as Pismo made their way to show their unique handmade items. Sisters Karin Smith and Jamie Cheney are the pioneers of the annual event. They created it in hopes of highlighting Central Coast artists who specialize in handmade items and décor. The craft market had everything from homemade jams and handmade jewelry to cloth baby diapers and Christmas decorations. Vendors enjoy coming out to the show to sell their products, meet customers and network with other vendors. Jasmine Dexter, co-owner and designer at Koco and Viking, appreciates that other vendors support each other. “Everyone’s just always enthusiastic, and that’s always contagious,” Dexter said. “It’s just really great to meet other makers for more marketing
ideas and collaborations.” Mary Beth Wagner, owner and designer of The Little Bee Co., enjoys meeting customers at the fair because it allows her to show them what her business is all about. “(The customers) have been positive and encouraging,” Wagner said. “Even if they don’t have a need for it, they’re taking cards and passing them to friends. It really feels like a network and there’s a really good community support vibe.” Craft fair patron Candy Millett enjoys going to small fairs because they give her a chance to stumble upon ornate crafts. “It’s nice when you can come across these that are local and the vendors make their own crafts,” Millet said, “since I do the same thing and do craft shows, too.” Even those who do not live in Templeton, such as Gale Dyer, enjoy coming to the market because of the great community spirit. “I think this is a great thing for the community and for the town,” Dyer said. “This is why I love Templeton — it’s just so friendly.”
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Thursday, October 23, 2014
An open letter to Timothy White Eric Stubben @ EricStubben
Eric Stubben is a mechanical engineering junior and Mustang News conservative columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News. Dear California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy White, I’ll be honest, I never paid much attention to the CSU school system until I made the decision to come to Cal Poly nearly three years ago. But since I started paying attention, I’ve rarely heard good things from CSU administration. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Cal Poly. I love the people around me, I love the organizations I’m involved with and I love the opportunities I’m presented. But Mr. White, I can’t help but think you don’t care about any of that. From insisting Cal Poly adopt the semester system to Executive Order 1068 — requiring open club membership — your policies have done nothing to help further the success of Cal Poly or its students. For now I want to focus on Executive Order 1068. The meat of the document reads as follows: “No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority, living group, honor society, or other student organization that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or disability.” Mr. White, I’m sure you already know that.
Seems harmless, right? It’s a perfect, progressive, Nobel Peace Prize-winning order, isn’t it? For most clubs on campus, this statement is completely reasonable … at least when it applies to club attendance and membership. Of course anybody can attend a club meeting, speak their mind and share their ideas. The problem lies within the next piece of the order that demands nondiscrimination be carried into club leadership positions as well. Mr. White, clubs exist on college campuses because they offer students a place to meet and share ideas with peers who have common interests. This open membership — or “all comer,” as some call it — policy defeats the purpose of clubs. A meeting place for people of diverse backgrounds to share ideas is called a “classroom.” It’s quite a novel concept. Rather than look for diversity within clubs, we should look for diversity between clubs. If you haven’t read the article published last week by Aja Frost, I recommend you read it now for two reasons. First of all, it’s a very well-written, thought-out article that displays the talent you shouldn’t be tampering with here at Cal Poly. Secondly, Aja’s article portrays herself as the type of person whom this executive order is trying to help — yet even she believes the ruling is unfair. The big question I can’t seem to answer is this: What do we have to gain from this executive order? It was already against CSU regulations (not to mention unethical) for clubs to discriminate against people who attend their meetings. If a leadership position requires a further commitment or requirement to continue the progress or success of a club then so be it, as
long as it’s reasonable. A Christian organization relies on the faith of its leaders to uphold moral and religious standards. Is it unfair for the leadership position to require a statement of faith to promote the well-being of the club? The organization is not discriminating on any means of race, gender, disability or any other factor besides commitment to one’s faith. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that is completely reasonable. In Aja’s article, your director of public affairs, Mike Uhlenkamp, recommended clubs use criteria such as skills tests or attendance records as qualifications for leadership positions. Skills tests or attendance records … When I first read this, I pictured a first-grade teacher grading students on a scale of one through five while checking the attendance sheet as the students put together a few pattern blocks. But assuming your office is serious about these recommendations, let me combat them. Is it not true that I could attend every Cal Poly Democrats club meeting for an entire year? Sure it is … I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me tagging along to add some spice to their discussions. Yet, by CSU logic, I could throw my conservative motives out the door for one skills test at the end of the year and get my name in the ring for a leadership position in the Cal Poly’s Democrats club. Not only would that be counterproductive to the club and its values, but to our school as well. This just demonstrates one club; in the grand scheme of things, it could happen to anyone. Mr. White, let me give you one last glance into how your execu-
the right angle tive order is harming our campus here at Cal Poly and others in the CSU system. Last month, CSU derecognized all InterVarsity organizations in the system. Just last week, Cal Poly’s own San Luis Obispo Campus Crusades for Christ (Cru) was derecognized as well. What good does this do for our campus, Mr. White? San Luis Obispo’s Cru’s goal is as follows: “to give every student the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.” They are more than accepting of people of all religions, races, sexual orientations or any other discriminatory factor. Just be-
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cause they ask their leaders to sign a statement of faith, they are now derecognized, hindered in their ability to achieve their goal. What good does this do for our campus? Over time, clubs will adjust and your order will be set in stone, but that still doesn’t make it right. Mr. White, I question your motives and morals behind signing off on this executive order and ask you to go back and reevaluate them. With all due respect, Eric Stubben
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Thursday, October 23, 2014
SPORTS | 8
READY FOR
REVENGE Former Mustang ‘Money’ Mendes battles for UFC belt
GETTY | ZUFFA, LLC
ROUND 2 | Former Cal Poly wrestler Chad Mendes has a shot at revenge and the featherweight championship belt on Oct. 25 when he returns to Brazil to face Jose Aldo in UFC 179, a rematch of UFC 142.
Nick Larson and Harry Chang @CPMustangSports
Chad Mendes, despite his 5-foot6 frame, has become a giant in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He is ranked No. 1 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight division, and boasts a 16-1 professional record. Mendes is also a Mustang. The class of 2008 graduate was a wrestler in his time at Cal Poly, earning NCAA AllAmerican honors twice. In his senior season, he went 30-1, was named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year and placed second in the NCAA Championships at 141 pounds. This weekend, Mendes will travel to Rio de Janeiro for one of the biggest fights of his career — a rematch with Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and a sec-
ond shot at the title. But long before UFC 179, Mendes donned a dark green Cal Poly singlet in Mott Gym. “(Wrestling) was huge, man,” Mendes said. “It definitely slingshotted me up into the bigger show a little bit faster than normal. I actually jumped straight into pro, and that’s basically because of my wrestling at Poly.” Mendes had options coming into college after a successful high school career. Urijah Faber, now the No. 3 UFC Bantamweight fighter, wrestled at UC Davis and tried to persuade Mendes to join the program. Even after a banner career at Cal Poly, transitioning to MMA was not always the obvious choice for Mendes. “I actually got into it because of Urijah Faber,” he continued. “He was training for a fight one time and I ended up doing Jiu Jitsu
with him and fell in love with it.” “He was like, ‘Dude, I think you’d be really good at this, so after (college) you should try it for a little bit.’ I took him up on it the day after I graduated. I put all my stuff in the U-Haul and drove up to Sacramento and started training to fight.” The beauty of the UFC lies in its diversity. Fighters come from various backgrounds with their obvious strengths and weaknesses. The transition to being a well-rounded fighter is not easy, especially for someone who came from just a wrestling background. “The striking, I think, (was the hardest part),” he said. “I’ve been a wrestler my whole life. Transitioning to standing upright, you know, throwing punches and kicks and knees and elbows and and trying not to get hit with any of those as well. That was the biggest change.”
Mendes burst onto the scene as a professional, winning his first five fights in the Palace Fighting Championship before transitioning to World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). In the WEC, he continued to excel, defeating the four opponents he faced. In October of 2010, the WEC was absorbed by the UFC, pitting Mendes against the best fighters in the world. After just two fights in the UFC, Mendes was given the opportunity every fighter dreams of — a shot at the belt. UFC 142 featured Mendes at the top of the main card, slotted to face Aldo in Rio de Janeiro. The bout that followed has been shrouded in controversy ever since that January day in 2012. Mendes was knocked out in the final second of the first round, creating one of the most exciting knockouts in UFC history.
However, moments before he won the fight with his knee, Aldo successfully defended a Mendes takedown attempt by grabbing the fence of the cage, an illegal tactic. Critics say the fight should have stopped briefly to deduct a point from Aldo, or even restart with the fighters on the ground, but none of that happened. Mendes was less motivated by the illegal move, and more by the post-match antics of Aldo, who immediately went out and partied with his friends in a less-thanclassy fashion, verbally bashing Mendes the entire time. “It pissed me off seeing him do that,” Mendes said. “I thought it was pretty disrespectful, but it is what it is and that just really motivates me.” Mendes will get his opportunity for revenge on Oct. 25. UFC 179 features the same matchup and same venue as
the previous Aldo fight. What’s being dubbed “Aldo vs. Mendes 2” gives Mendes the chance to put to rest the controversy surrounding the last meeting. “Every single fight that I’ve trained for, every camp I’ve gone through, has been for Jose Aldo.” he said. “I just knew that if I kept beating everyone that they put in front of me, eventually they have to give me another title shot, and it’s finally here.” Mendes said he intends to bring the belt back to California, and visit Cal Poly in December. “(To) become the World Champion is the ultimate goal,” he said. “Just continuing to do what I love, you know, being able to have a job where I can workout with all my buddies, stay fit and healthy and make money. This is basically a dream come true for me. I’m loving every second of it.”