Chad Mendes & Chad Belding | UFC Fighter & Banded Founder on Business Partnerships | TRP Ep. 504

Chad Mendes is a former UFC featherweight title contender and two-time NCAA All-American wrestler who fought legends like Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Chad Belding is an entrepreneur and founder of the Banded brand, a hunting and outdoor lifestyle company. Together, they've partnered on multiple business ventures that combine their passion for the outdoors with entrepreneurial success. In this conversation, they reveal how they met through mutual friends in the hunting industry, why they decided to partner on a meat stick company, and what it's really like to transition from elite competition to building businesses. You'll hear about the challenges of scaling a product business, the importance of authentic partnerships, and how their complementary skill sets created opportunities neither could have built alone.

From Elite Wrestling to UFC Featherweight Contender

Chad Mendes didn't take a traditional path to the UFC octagon. Starting as a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Cal Poly, he built a foundation in grappling that would become his signature style in mixed martial arts. But the transition from college wrestling to professional fighting required more than just technical skill—it demanded a complete shift in mindset, training methods, and career strategy. Mendes talks about how his wrestling background shaped his approach to MMA, the challenges of competing at the highest level of the featherweight division, and what it was like to face legends like Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor in championship fights. The mental game at that level is unlike anything most people experience, and the lessons he learned in the cage carried directly into his business ventures. Hear how Chad's wrestling career set him up for UFC success.

How Two Chads Met and Built a Partnership

The partnership between Chad Mendes and Chad Belding didn't start with a business plan—it started with mutual respect in the hunting community. Belding had already built the Banded brand into a successful hunting apparel and lifestyle company, while Mendes was carving out a name as both a UFC fighter and an avid outdoorsman. Their paths crossed through shared connections in the hunting world, and what began as friendship evolved into a business relationship built on complementary strengths. Belding brought product development and brand-building experience, while Mendes offered an authentic platform and connection to a broader audience. They discuss how they evaluate potential business opportunities, why authenticity matters more than quick profits, and what it takes to build a partnership that actually works when both people have strong personalities and different skill sets. The story of how they decided to partner on the meat stick company starts early in the episode.

Building the Banded Brand and Outdoor Lifestyle Business

Chad Belding founded Banded with a vision to create hunting gear and apparel that actually worked for serious hunters, not just casual weekend warriors. The journey from startup to established brand involved countless decisions about product quality, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing—all while staying true to the core customer. Belding shares insights into what it takes to build a lifestyle brand in the outdoor industry, from managing inventory and cash flow to creating authentic content that resonates with your audience. He also discusses the challenges of scaling a product-based business, the importance of listening to customer feedback, and why staying connected to the hunting community has been essential to Banded's success. The lessons he learned building Banded directly informed how he and Mendes approached their meat stick venture. Belding's breakdown of building the Banded brand offers actionable business insights throughout the conversation.

The Mental Game: UFC Fighting and Business Pressure

Fighting in the UFC octagon in front of millions of viewers with a championship on the line creates a level of pressure most people will never experience. But Chad Mendes discovered that the mental skills required to compete at that level translate directly to entrepreneurship and business building. He talks about managing anxiety and self-doubt, staying focused under extreme pressure, and learning from failures when the stakes are highest. Whether it's preparing for a title fight against Jose Aldo or launching a new product in a competitive market, the ability to control your mental state and execute your game plan is what separates success from failure. Both Chads discuss how they approach high-pressure decisions, what they've learned from setbacks, and why the discipline developed in elite competition becomes a competitive advantage in business. The conversation about mental toughness and dealing with pressure gets deep.

Final Thoughts from Tom

Having two Chads on the show—one from the UFC octagon and one from the outdoor business world—made for a conversation that went way beyond the typical entrepreneur interview. What struck me most was how naturally they complement each other. Chad Mendes brings the discipline and mental toughness from elite competition, while Chad Belding brings the product knowledge and brand-building experience from growing Banded. When you put those two together, you get a partnership that actually makes sense.

The hunting and fishing communities overlap more than people realize, and these guys understand how to build authentic relationships with their customers. They're not trying to be something they're not—they're outdoorsmen who happen to be building businesses around their passions. That authenticity comes through in everything they do, and it's why their ventures resonate with people.

If you're thinking about starting a business with a partner, or if you're trying to figure out how to transition from one career to another, this conversation has real value. The lessons about managing pressure, staying authentic, and building complementary partnerships apply whether you're in the outdoor industry or anywhere else. Listen to the whole thing—there's gold throughout this entire episode.