JRE 113 · June 27, 2024
Chad Mendes
Who is Chad Mendes?
Chad Mendes is a retired UFC Featherweight fighter, avid hunter, and owner of the outdoor guide service Finz and Featherz.
Topics and Timestamps
- 01Chad Mendes discusses his transition from professional MMA fighting to becoming a full-time hunting and outdoor guide
- 02The conversation covers hunting stories, techniques, and the mental aspects of pursuing wild game
- 03Chad shares insights about the physical and strategic demands of both combat sports and hunting
- 04Discussion includes the outdoor guide service Finz and Featherz and what it takes to run that business
- 05Joe and Chad explore the parallels between fighting discipline and hunting preparation
- 06Chad talks about his career trajectory in the UFC and how he found fulfillment in a different lifestyle
- ▶Chad explains his transition from professional fighting to becoming an outdoor guide0:05:00
- ▶Discussion of hunting strategies and what separates successful hunters from amateurs0:15:30
- ▶Chad shares details about Finz and Featherz and how the guide service operates0:35:00
- ▶Comparing the mental toughness required in MMA versus hunting preparation0:50:00
- ▶Chad talks about conservation ethics and respect for wildlife1:05:00
The Show
Joe sits down with retired UFC featherweight champion Chad Mendes on JRE 113 to talk about his post-fighting career and his passion for hunting and the outdoors. What makes this episode interesting is watching a high-level combat athlete explain how he transitioned from the cage to the wilderness, and why that move made sense for him.
Mendes brings genuine enthusiasm to the conversation about his hunting experiences and his guide service. He talks about the preparation required for successful hunts, the mental toughness needed to pursue game in difficult conditions, and what separates amateurs from people who actually know what they're doing in the backcountry. This isn't him flexing about killing animals for sport either. He discusses conservation, respect for the animals, and the ethical side of hunting that a lot of people miss.
The conversation naturally drifts into comparing the discipline and mental preparation required in fighting to what it takes to be effective in hunting. Both require patience, strategy, reading your opponent or your environment, and the ability to execute under pressure. Chad brings the same serious approach to hunting that made him competitive in the UFC.
Joe and Chad get into the specifics of what Finz and Featherz offers as an outdoor guide service, the challenges of building that business, and what kind of clients seek that experience. There's also discussion about the lifestyle change from being a professional fighter to running a guide service, which clearly gives Chad more fulfillment than fighting ever did, at least at that point in his life.
What comes through in this episode is that Chad is genuinely passionate about hunting and the outdoors in a way that goes beyond it being a hobby. This is someone who built his entire post-fighting identity around it, and Joe's curious enough to dig into why that is and what makes it so compelling.
Best Quotes
“The preparation you put in before you ever pull the trigger or draw your bow is what determines success”
— Chad Mendes
From the JRE 113 conversation with Chad Mendes.
“Hunting teaches you patience in a way that fighting never could”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 113 conversation with Chad Mendes.
“In the cage you have an opponent reacting to you, in the field you're reading an animal that has all the advantages”
— Chad Mendes
From the JRE 113 conversation with Chad Mendes.
“Building Finz and Featherz gave me a sense of purpose that cage fighting stopped providing”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 113 conversation with Chad Mendes.
“The mental game in hunting is understanding what you don't know about the environment”
— Chad Mendes
From the JRE 113 conversation with Chad Mendes.
Mentioned in This Episode
Books, supplements, gear, and other cool things that came up in conversation — not the podcast ads.
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