With the gigantic main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on the horizon, the UFC’s return to Brazil in the first month of 2012 has been pushed to the back of fight fans minds for the time being.
The card lacks the star power as the previous trip to Brazil, and the lighter weight classes always seem to have a bit of a problem drawing the attention of the mainstream media, so it isn’t much of a surprise that the main event between Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo is being overlooked.
This is Aldo’s first shot at headlining a PPV event and it could not come against a worse stylistic matchup for him, as Mendes has all the tools to take out one of the top ranked fighters in the world.
Aldo has shown vicious striking throughout his career, and his takedown defense has been surprisingly good throughout his current title reign, but none of that will matter when he is matched up against the best wrestler in the division.
Mendes is relentless when it comes to taking guys to the mat, and he has shown the ability to take a punch or two in order to get it there, something that is vital if he wants to take out Aldo.
Even if Aldo is able to keep the fight upright for a few rounds, it seems as though he has lost his killer instinct as of late and his main asset, (his kicks) will be neutralized by Mendes’ ability to take him down.
Throw in Aldo’s suspect cardio and the longer the fight goes on, the more it favors the Team Alpha Male prospect, as he will be able to take Aldo to the mat and work his suffocating top game.
Unless Aldo is able to get his mojo back and aim to finish the fight early, Mendes has this fight in the bag, starting a new era in the featherweight division and sending the Brazilian crowd home unhappy.
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