Chad Mendes, the #2 featherweight in the world, kept busy by dominating Rani Yahya to a unanimous decision. Yahya, one of the world's best grapplers, wasn't able to put Mendes down, took a beating on the feet and then on the ground. Mendes looked utterly dominant and outclassed Yahya in every aspect of the game.
Yahya urgently needed to put Mendes on his back but wasn't able to come close to out-wrestling Mendes on the feet or getting the sweep from his back. Mendes landed many a hard punch to the face and slammed Yahya to the ground on several occasions.
UFC 133 results: Mendes defeats Yahya via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Yahya for all his vaunted reputation on the ground, was unable to do anything other than eating elbows on the ground. At one point he seemed to briefly threaten with a submission hold, but Mendes escaped unharmed. Mendes is due a title shot against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.