Issue 127
April 2015
Two warriors walked out in front of a boisterous Brazilian crowd with the hopes of two nations on their shoulders. Five brutal rounds for the UFC’s ultimate prize
It was a rematch almost three years in the making. Chad Mendes was back in the lion’s den to challenge for José Aldo’s featherweight belt. The first time he traveled to Rio for a shot at UFC gold, the hometown hero triumphed with a dramatic knockout. A partisan crowd expected a repeat result.
The stage was set for a mouth-watering second fight. Aldo was the last Brazilian standing after a disastrous year for the spiritual home of MMA. Legends and champions fell one by one as the samba nation lost its grip on its dominance of the sport.
Mendes, meanwhile, was charged for success following a ferocious five-fight win streak. Confidence at Team Alpha Male was at an all-time high about completing a double over Nova Uniao after TJ Dillashaw’s domination of Renan Barao at UFC 173.
The 11,415 in attendance at Rio’s Maracanazinho Gymnasium wanted blood and they got it – they just hadn’t counted on it being spilled on both sides. Mendes started strong and dropped Aldo with a sharp left hook, but the champ fired back and threw a folding combination of his own – just as the klaxon sounded to end the round.
Unaware the round was over, Aldo thought lightning had struck twice when referee Marc Goddard called time. “It was like deja vu for me,” he recalls. “I landed those punches, the referee stepped in and I thought I had won the fight. I was ready to run into the crowd again but they pulled me back in.”
Mendes says those ‘late’ shots had a huge impact. “The two punches he hit me with messed me up pretty good,” recalls the challenger. “It kind of slowed me down a little bit for the rest of the fight. I think if that doesn’t happen, I win that first round and probably fight a little bit different the rest of the fight.”
But the Californian recovered well and came out to push the pace in the second stanza. His fake-shot-to-uppercut combination landed consistently and Aldo knew he was up against a completely different fighter. The wrestler’s stand-up had improved so much that he often matched the striking sensation on the feet.
“I think Chad was more confident this time, we kept the fight on the feet and I thank him for that,” says the champion. “I knew the fight was in my hands so I had to keep calm.”
Aldo’s hand was eventually raised after 25 minutes and though the fight was close, Mendes had no complaints about the decision. “I was going so hard I didn’t know what was going on,” he says. “I was just trying to push myself and mix things up well. There’s a lot of things I did right but obviously there’s a lot of things I did wrong which cost me the fight.”
Despite extending his record to 2-0 against his most accomplished foe, Aldo is open to a trilogy fight in the future.
“It definitely can happen, he’s a great athlete,” he says. “He’s always going to be fighting in this weight class, right on top. It’s not like because he lost tonight he’s no good anymore. I hope we have another great fight to keep our pockets full.”
Unsurprisingly, Mendes agrees: “I have this thing with Aldo. There’s something to be said about two guys who just get in there and beat the crap out of each other for 25 minutes straight. There’s some kind of weird thing like a bond that’s made. I want to be the guy to beat him.”
Knockout of the year
Hunt vs. Nelson
Submission of the year
Ben Saunders
Comeback of the year
Dominick Cruz
Upset of the year
Dillashaw vs. Barao
Shawn Tompkins coach of the year
Duane Ludwig
Trainer of the year
Mike Dolce
...
