It seems to be a trend nowadays, big names inside of the world of MMA are signing deals with Brazilian football clubs. Such was the case for Jose Aldo, who had a dream come true this past Wednesday morning (12/28/11), he had a deal signed to represent his football club of heart, Flamengo, inside the Octagon. It apparently didn’t take long for Flamengo’s number one rival, Vasco, to strike back:

"The board of directors of Vasco searched us out and I’m going to Rio de Janeiro next week to talk to them. No deal has been made yet, but we’re going to talk. This is great for MMA, this shows that the sport is growing more and more every day” Pateta, Mendes’ Jiu-Jitsu coach, told PVT.

Mendes isn’t the first non-Brazilian fighter to interest a Brazilian football club, but he could be the first to sign a lucrative deal with one.