Jose Aldo, fighting in front of a lively home-nation crowd in Rio de Janeiro, defended his featherweight title for the seventh time in defeating challenger Chad Mendes by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46).
After an up-and-down undercard that featured a couple of lopsided matches—Beneil Dariush and Phil Davis were especially impressive—and sucked the air out of the building faster than it did the fighter's lungs, Aldo's second win over Mendes delivered in just about every aspect. It was a close contest featuring stunning combinations, incredible takedown defenses, gore, guts and gumption.
Indeed, it is a fight worth revisiting. Let's run through some of the top moments and key stats from the five-round scrap.
Round 1
Perhaps this header should say Round 1—And Then Some. The most controversial moment of the match took place just after the bell had sounded. Aldo, pouring forward with great intensity, rocked Mendes with a straight punch to the dome that sent the challenger wobbling.
Surprisingly, the referee did not deduct a point from Aldo. ESPN's Brett Okamoto was beside himself:
Aldo knocks Mendes down right hand way after the bell! Wooow! Gotta be warned at least????! Well after bell. Bull. That's terrible.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 26, 2014
That wasn't the first instance of extracurricular play in the fight. Midway through the round, Mendes poked Aldo in the left eye, causing a brief stoppage in the bout while the official checked on Aldo.
Fox Sports Radio's Heidi Fang would recap the action:
Aldo landing the jab and Mendes counters with the left. Aldo in on a combo, leg kicks now they break for an eye poke.
— Heidi Fang (@HeidiFang) October 26, 2014
The eye injury would swell into an unrecognizable, puffy mess as the fight went on and affect Aldo's vision. No point was deducted.
Both fighters scored minor knockdowns in the first, trading crushing hooks and furious geysers disguised as uppercuts. Aldo landed 37 significant strikes, while Mendes established his strategy of going high and low by targeting Aldo's legs 18 percent of the time.
Round 3
After a second round that saw Mendes bounce around and do well to stay away from Aldo's jab, the third round was a highly concentrated display of two furious fighters performing at their very best.
With just over two minutes in the round, Aldo rocked his opponent with a hook to the side of the head, but Mendes game back and delivered a vicious uppercut that would've taken most fighters off the mat.
Fang gave her take on the situation at hand:
Another uppercut lands from Mendes, followed by a high kick. Aldo bleeding from the left eye. Combo from Mendes lands. Mendes w.a combo.
— Heidi Fang (@HeidiFang) October 26, 2014
UFC gave a taste of the slobber-knocking hits on display during the fight:
ICYMI: Watch the replay of one of the best featherweight fights in UFC history. http://t.co/nQX30wG7GT pic.twitter.com/ncdImiqfJ9
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2014
Aldo came right back with his own combination of blows and sent Mendes backward across the ring. Aldo pounced and drove a knee right into Mendes' ribcage.
Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole was impressed with the action on tap, and he also gave an update on Aldo's eye:
What a fight this is! WOW
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) October 26, 2014
Aldo's left eye looks terrible, blood streaming out, it's closing
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) October 26, 2014
Aldo finished with 21 significant strikes to Mendes' 10 in the round, although the latter had control of the round for just over a minute and was putting in an admirable display.
Round 5
Mendes put in a fine display in the fourth round, out-striking his foe 17-9 and making sure Aldo couldn't go into the final frame with any confidence of pulling out a victory on points alone. The violence was etched onto both fighters' faces. Aldo's eye was a leaky, volcanic mess. Mendes' face was swollen, like he was allergic to leather and canvas.
Mendes scored the only takedown of the fight in this round after throwing a couple of hard lefts that staggered Aldo and took him into the cage. MMA journalist Josh Gross felt that the takedown might've been a mistake, as Mendes was doing quite well standing up:
Think the takedown was a mistake by Mendes. He was popping Aldo. This only slows the fight and lets clock tick off.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) October 26, 2014
The champion's takedown defense was sublime and prevented Mendes from pressing his advantage. Both fighters finished the thrilling affair going toe-to-toe and trading violent blows. Aldo finished the round connecting on 41 percent of his strikes as compared to Mendes' 28 percent rate.
Iole provided the scorecard:
ALl three judges have it 49-46 for Aldo. Unanimous. Aldo keeps the belt. Good call.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) October 26, 2014
Aldo felt that he earned the victory, but also took time to give credit to Mendes.
"I think every fight is the toughest fight of my career," Aldo said, via ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto. "I think I deserved to win. He hit me a few times but I him a lot more. But congratulations to Chad Mendes. I have respect for him, his whole team, his family. Inside [the cage] it is a rivalry, but outside we're friends."
The fight was indeed a treat for fans watching both in Rio and across the globe. Aldo's string of title defenses will cement his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It's quite possible that a bout against the dangerous Conor McGregor is in the works. The Irish fighter sent out this message after the bout:
Toasting whiskey to a phenomenal contest. Respect and congrats to both competitors. Rest up well. The King is coming. pic.twitter.com/IY2gc2tKtZ
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 26, 2014
Should either Aldo or Mendes take on McGregor, it would surely be a huge draw and generate an incredible amount of pre-bout coverage and analysis.
All fight stats courtesy of UFC.com unless otherwise noted.
