Jose Aldo will have his hands full and then some defending his featherweight title against Chad Mendes at UFC 179.
The Brazilian will once again aim to defend his title on home soil after topping Mendes there in 2012, but this promises to be a very different fight. Mendes has won five straight bouts since that defeat, and he’s set on avenging the only loss of his career.
These are quite clearly the best two fighters in the featherweight division—the stats back that up, per UFC:
Ever since an altercation between the two during the August UFC 179 media day, tensions have been very high entering the rematch. On Saturday, the two will finally get the chance to put the talking to one side and prove themselves.
Here’s a preview and prediction for the UFC 179 main event.
UFC 179 Preview
Much of the talk heading into Saturday night—as tends to be the case in rematches—is revolving around the first bout between these two fighters. But rather than answering a lot of questions, that result has left many wondering what might have been.
It was 2012, and after not really being tested in his previous few fights, Aldo had his hands full in Round 1. He fought feverishly to avoid being taken down by the aggressive Mendes.
The rest is history, with the underdog coming extremely close to taking Aldo to the ground before he slipped away and landed a brutal knee in the final second of Round 1 to end the fight.
We’re closing in on three years since that January 2012 fight, and Mendes has learned plenty from it, per Sporting News‘ Steven Muehlhausen:
I think there’s some stuff I can take from it. I learned from that fight. But there’s a lot of stuff that’s going to be done different as well. I think, all-in-all, I definitely keep that fight in my back pocket. I learned from it. I take things that went well, study them and do them. Things that didn’t go good, stop doing them (laughs) and change it up.
Ever since that loss, Mendes has been on a collision course with Aldo for an inevitable rematch. He has knocked out four of the five opponents he has faced since then and enters Saturday with a head full of confidence, per UFC:
Mendes is confident of his abilities, and rightfully so. His takedown ability is the best in the weight class, and he has improved his striking game considerably.
But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be a match for Aldo, an elite striker with even better takedown defense. While he has coasted to victories since that 2012 fight, he doesn’t see much improvement in his opponent. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com’s Steven Marrocco, he said:
Everyone’s always looking to evolve, but I haven’t been able to see it. We haven’t seen him face a striker, so I haven’t been able to see where he got better. I do think his confidence has gotten a lot better; he’s gotten four wins, but the evolution part and getting better, I haven’t been able to see it.
The talk has been exciting and juicy heading into this one, and there’s no doubt that it sells. But both fighters will admit that talk is cheap and all that matters is what happens inside the Octagon come Saturday night.
Prediction
Aldo was the superior fighter in 2012, and he’ll be the superior fighter on Saturday. But Mendes has improved considerably since their first meeting, and his improvements will come to the surface early.
As good as Aldo’s takedown defense is, he won’t be able to avoid going down early on. But with Mendes spending all of his energy getting momentum in the opening rounds, he’ll be gassed late as Aldo goes for the kill.
Prediction: Aldo wins via fifth-round TKO
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