Tag: Chad Mendes

‘UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes’ — Main Event Liveblog

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

I thought the FOX era was supposed to signal the end of the Gladiator intro, but I guess that only counts for FOX broadcasts. That’s a shame.

And we aren’t wasting much time. It’s been a strong showing for Brazil thus far. Let’s see if Etim can turn the tides.

Edson Barboza, Jr. vs. Terry Etim

I don’t speak Portuguese, but I had an easier time understanding Barboza’s prefight interview than I did Etim’s. Bruce Buffer, man of the world, caters to the home crowd in his introduction.

R1: If you forget who is who, the Brazilian is the one with the tan. Big Dan is in control of things. Both men swing awahy and Etim gets the early takedown, but they quickly pop back up. Barboza blocks a head kick. Etim fakes a punch and shoots for another takedown, but Barboza sweeps and gets back up. They’re feeling each other out, and Barboza misses with a wild punch before finding his mark with a pair of leg kicks. Barboza’s thrown quite a few shots to the break basket. Barboza sees the takedown coming and stuffs the Brit. The crowd is chanting something–it undoubtedly involves Etim meeting his maker. Barboza charges in and connects with a combination. Woo, powerful spinning back kick from Barboza to shut out the round.


R2: Etim comes out much more active, but he’s still eating leg kicks. Etim lands a leg kick and follows up with another to the head but it’s blocked. Etim gets stuffed on a takedown and eats a knee to the gut. If he can’t land these takedowns, he needs to get more aggressive in the standup, and he’s making the effort. Barboza’s been landing heavy kicks to Etim’s lead leg throughout the bout, and he’s sticking with the formula. Etim with a head kick and spinning back kick of his own. Etim with a takedown from across the cage. He lands it but it’s as short lived as the others. Barboza digs in with a body shot and follows it up top. Strong switch kick to the body by the Brazilian to close out the round.

R3: Really wish they would have secured local talent for the ring card girls. Am I alone in that? They’re trading early in round three. Etim with a failed flying knee, or “jumping knee” as Goldy called it earlier. Both men are sticking to their plan: Barboza lands a leg kick and Etim fails a takedown. Annnnd Barboza whips around with a magnificent spinning wheel kick! Tiiiiimbeeer! He catches Etim square in the face and this is a wrap!

Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim by Knock Out (2:02 R3)

Rogan calls this the first ever spinning heel kick knock out in UFC history. He’d probably know. A nice finish to kick off the PPV card, and the Brazilians are rolling tonight.

Jose Aldo Knocks Out Chad Mendes at UFC 142, Keeps Featherweight Belt

Filed under: UFC, NewsJose Aldo is still the featherweight champion of the UFC.

Aldo, fighting back home in Brazil for the first time since signing with Zuffa, defeated Chad Mendes by first-round knockout at UFC 142, defending his featherweight title …

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Jose Aldo retains his UFC featherweight title with his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 142.Jose Aldo is still the featherweight champion of the UFC.

Aldo, fighting back home in Brazil for the first time since signing with Zuffa, defeated Chad Mendes by first-round knockout at UFC 142, defending his featherweight title and showing once again that he’s among the most lethal strikers in mixed martial arts, in any weight class.

It was a huge left knee to Mendes’ face that knocked Mendes flat on his back, and Aldo then pounced with a couple of punches on the ground before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight at the 4 minute, 59 second mark of the first round — just one second remained in the round.

“I want to thank the home crowd, all my friends who came out,” Aldo said afterward. “I’m so happy fighting at home.”


Aldo showed that happiness to be fighting at home by running into the crowd after the fight, where he was mobbed by fans. It could have caused a crowd control problem, as large numbers of fans swarmed around Aldo, but there were no incidents and Aldo eventually made his way back into the Octagon for his post-fight interview.

The story of the fight before that brutal knee was Mendes’ inability to take Aldo down: Mendes tried for takedowns and Aldo had little trouble shaking him off. In the final minute of the fight Mendes did grab hold of Aldo and clinch with him against the fence, and at one point Aldo had to hold the fence to prevent from being taken down. But Aldo bided his time against the fence, saw that opening, and finished things with that knee.

The win improves Aldo’s professional MMA record to 21-1, while Mendes lost for the first time in his career and drops to 11-1.

“Jose’s a great champion. He’s a tough dude. That’s the best I’ve felt for any fight, I was very prepared, and he got me,” Mendes said afterward. “He was the better man.”

For Mendes, there’s no shame in losing to Aldo. Aldo is among the greatest fighters in the sport.

 

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UFC 142 Live Blog: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes Updates

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Jose Aldo faces Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Brazil.This is the UFC 142 live blog for Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Aldo (20-1) aims to make his third successful UFC featherweight title defense, having already defeated Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian last year via decisions. Mendes (11-0) is a wrestler out of Urijah Faber‘s team Alpha Male who holds UFC wins over Michihiro Omigawa and Rani Yahya.

The live blog is below.


Mendes is all smiles as he makes his way to the cage to “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses. A focused Aldo walks out to what has become his entrance song “Run This Town” by Jay-Z.

Mario Yamasaki will referee this UFC featherweight title fight.

Round 1: Mendes initiates with several inside leg kicks. Mendes lands a leg kick that throws Aldo off. Aldo returns fire with a powerful leg kick. Mendes attempts his first takedown at 3:51 and Aldo stuffs it. Aldo walks forward and lands a jab. Aldo scores on a crushing leg kick. Mendes shoots again and Aldo stops it. Mendes has always overwhelmed his opponents with takedowns but so far his attempts have not been close whatsoever. Mendes misses on his third takedown attempt. Mendes catches Aldo coming in and controls Aldo’s back. Mendes tries to dump Aldo, and would have gotten the take down, but Aldo grabs the fence. Mendes tries again and Aldo is able to stay on his feet. Aldo spins out and follows with a knee that drops Mendes. Aldo adds three more right punches and knocks out Mendes. Aldo then runs into the crowd and it’s quite the scene. A fitting scene to cap off a wild UFC in Brazil.

Aldo wins via KO – Round 1, 4:59

 

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Filed under:

Jose Aldo faces Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Brazil.This is the UFC 142 live blog for Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Aldo (20-1) aims to make his third successful UFC featherweight title defense, having already defeated Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian last year via decisions. Mendes (11-0) is a wrestler out of Urijah Faber‘s team Alpha Male who holds UFC wins over Michihiro Omigawa and Rani Yahya.

The live blog is below.


Mendes is all smiles as he makes his way to the cage to “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses. A focused Aldo walks out to what has become his entrance song “Run This Town” by Jay-Z.

Mario Yamasaki will referee this UFC featherweight title fight.

Round 1: Mendes initiates with several inside leg kicks. Mendes lands a leg kick that throws Aldo off. Aldo returns fire with a powerful leg kick. Mendes attempts his first takedown at 3:51 and Aldo stuffs it. Aldo walks forward and lands a jab. Aldo scores on a crushing leg kick. Mendes shoots again and Aldo stops it. Mendes has always overwhelmed his opponents with takedowns but so far his attempts have not been close whatsoever. Mendes misses on his third takedown attempt. Mendes catches Aldo coming in and controls Aldo’s back. Mendes tries to dump Aldo, and would have gotten the take down, but Aldo grabs the fence. Mendes tries again and Aldo is able to stay on his feet. Aldo spins out and follows with a knee that drops Mendes. Aldo adds three more right punches and knocks out Mendes. Aldo then runs into the crowd and it’s quite the scene. A fitting scene to cap off a wild UFC in Brazil.

Aldo wins via KO – Round 1, 4:59

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Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 142 Picks With Urijah Faber

Filed under: UFCIn the last edition of Fighter vs. Writer, Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold proved that he knew what he was talking about when he said he couldn’t understand why all the media picked Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, while the fighters favored Al…

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In the last edition of Fighter vs. Writer, Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold proved that he knew what he was talking about when he said he couldn’t understand why all the media picked Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, while the fighters favored Alistair Overeem. Lesson learned. Maybe.

For UFC 142, I turned to a man who knows a little something about both main event combatants: former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber.

Faber’s gone up against Jose Aldo in the cage and Chad Mendes in practice, plus he’s a pretty savvy all-around judge of character, so I expect another tough one as I look to rebound from my loss. But, just as in the UFC, there are no easy match-ups here. If there were, I would have sought them out by now, trust me.

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Faber: Mendes via decision. “I think it’ll be kind of a feeling out process at first, but then somebody’s going to open up. I think it’ll be an explosive first round and early second, but then Chad’s going to start getting some takedowns and grinding Aldo. I think that’s the big thing that people aren’t thinking about it, is the fatigue of a grappling match. Chad will fatigue him and, if not finish him, then hopefully win a decision.”
Fowlkes: Aldo via decision. I think it’s going to be a closer fight than many people are expecting, but I just don’t see Mendes being able to outwrestle Aldo for five rounds. The Brazilian is too quick and too athletic, and he’ll have Mendes confused on the feet. Expect a close one, but also expect Aldo to get his hand raised at the end of the night/morning.


Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson
Faber: Johnson via TKO. I like Vitor, and I’m a longtime fan, but I think Anthony Johnson is going to be really good at that new weight class. I’m taking Anthony, but I’m cheering for Vitor.
Fowlkes: Johnson via decision. If he makes it through the first three minutes with Belfort, his chances improve greatly. Johnson’s never been knocked out and he’s got a solid ground game. If he’s smart, he’ll turn this into a grind and sap Belfort’s explosive power.

Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares
Faber: Nobody. It’s always a risky move, but it’s worked for others. Faber has declined to pick a winner here on the grounds that “I don’t really know too much about either of those guys. Under the Fighter vs. Writer unified rules, he only scores here if the bout ends in a draw or a no contest. Or if if doesn’t happen at all, for whatever reason. Does Urijah know something we don’t?
Fowlkes: Palhares via submission. Due to past experiences, it always makes me uneasy when fighters refuse to pick. If there’s anyone on this card who might do something weird that results in a no contest — or just not show up at all — it’s Palhares. Still, when he has his act together he’s a very tough opponent for anyone, and my money’s on him to submit Massenzio.

Carlo Prater vs. Erick Silva
Faber: Prater via decision. “I know Prater, so I guess I’ll go with him just because I’m more familiar with him.” It’s unclear if Faber realized he was going with the heavy underdog in this match-up, but name recognition still counts for something, I suppose.
Fowlkes: Silva via TKO. Prater’s been around, it’s true. But most of the known guys he’s fought ended up beating him, while Silva is a bright young prospect that the UFC’s pretty hot on. I don’t see him doing anything to screw that up here.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
Faber: Etim via TKO. “I’m going to go with Terry. He’s got really great striking and some good finishes if it goes to the ground, so I think he’ll have the edge.”
Fowlkes: Barboza via decision. I still think Etim’s a good underdog pick, given the 2-1 odds, but this looks like a close fight that’s likely to go to decision. If it does, Barboza’s active, flashy style should wow the judges enough to earn the nod. Having the crowd on his side won’t hurt, either.

Faber picks: Mendes, Johnson, nobody, Prater, Etim
Fowlkes picks: Aldo, Johnson, Palhares, Silva, Barboza

 

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Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 142 Picks With Urijah Faber

Filed under: UFCIn the last edition of Fighter vs. Writer, Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold proved that he knew what he was talking about when he said he couldn’t understand why all the media picked Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, while the fighters favored Al…

Filed under:

In the last edition of Fighter vs. Writer, Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold proved that he knew what he was talking about when he said he couldn’t understand why all the media picked Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, while the fighters favored Alistair Overeem. Lesson learned. Maybe.

For UFC 142, I turned to a man who knows a little something about both main event combatants: former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber.

Faber’s gone up against Jose Aldo in the cage and Chad Mendes in practice, plus he’s a pretty savvy all-around judge of character, so I expect another tough one as I look to rebound from my loss. But, just as in the UFC, there are no easy match-ups here. If there were, I would have sought them out by now, trust me.

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Faber: Mendes via decision. “I think it’ll be kind of a feeling out process at first, but then somebody’s going to open up. I think it’ll be an explosive first round and early second, but then Chad’s going to start getting some takedowns and grinding Aldo. I think that’s the big thing that people aren’t thinking about it, is the fatigue of a grappling match. Chad will fatigue him and, if not finish him, then hopefully win a decision.”
Fowlkes: Aldo via decision. I think it’s going to be a closer fight than many people are expecting, but I just don’t see Mendes being able to outwrestle Aldo for five rounds. The Brazilian is too quick and too athletic, and he’ll have Mendes confused on the feet. Expect a close one, but also expect Aldo to get his hand raised at the end of the night/morning.


Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson
Faber: Johnson via TKO. I like Vitor, and I’m a longtime fan, but I think Anthony Johnson is going to be really good at that new weight class. I’m taking Anthony, but I’m cheering for Vitor.
Fowlkes: Johnson via decision. If he makes it through the first three minutes with Belfort, his chances improve greatly. Johnson’s never been knocked out and he’s got a solid ground game. If he’s smart, he’ll turn this into a grind and sap Belfort’s explosive power.

Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares
Faber: Nobody. It’s always a risky move, but it’s worked for others. Faber has declined to pick a winner here on the grounds that “I don’t really know too much about either of those guys. Under the Fighter vs. Writer unified rules, he only scores here if the bout ends in a draw or a no contest. Or if if doesn’t happen at all, for whatever reason. Does Urijah know something we don’t?
Fowlkes: Palhares via submission. Due to past experiences, it always makes me uneasy when fighters refuse to pick. If there’s anyone on this card who might do something weird that results in a no contest — or just not show up at all — it’s Palhares. Still, when he has his act together he’s a very tough opponent for anyone, and my money’s on him to submit Massenzio.

Carlo Prater vs. Erick Silva
Faber: Prater via decision. “I know Prater, so I guess I’ll go with him just because I’m more familiar with him.” It’s unclear if Faber realized he was going with the heavy underdog in this match-up, but name recognition still counts for something, I suppose.
Fowlkes: Silva via TKO. Prater’s been around, it’s true. But most of the known guys he’s fought ended up beating him, while Silva is a bright young prospect that the UFC’s pretty hot on. I don’t see him doing anything to screw that up here.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim
Faber: Etim via TKO. “I’m going to go with Terry. He’s got really great striking and some good finishes if it goes to the ground, so I think he’ll have the edge.”
Fowlkes: Barboza via decision. I still think Etim’s a good underdog pick, given the 2-1 odds, but this looks like a close fight that’s likely to go to decision. If it does, Barboza’s active, flashy style should wow the judges enough to earn the nod. Having the crowd on his side won’t hurt, either.

Faber picks: Mendes, Johnson, nobody, Prater, Etim
Fowlkes picks: Aldo, Johnson, Palhares, Silva, Barboza

 

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Gambling Addiction Enabler: UFC 142 Edition

UFC 142 goes down this Saturday from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and though it doesn’t feature quite as epic a lineup as the UFC’s return to Brazil at UFC 134, the fact that the card has still maintained its two marquee match-ups is something to brag about, if only due to how cursed a card this has been. So if you, like Siyar Bahadurzada, Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, and Fabio Maldanado, find yourself watching the action from the sidelines on Saturday night and suddenly in need of some extra dough, then we are here to help. Check out the betting lines below, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for some sound betting advice.

Main Card
Erick Silva (-525) vs. Carlo Prater (+415)
Edson Barboza (-270) vs. Terry Etim (+230)
Rousimar Palhares (-525) vs. Mike Massenzio (+415)
Anthony Johnson (-110) vs. Vitor Belfort (-110)
Jose Aldo (-240) vs. Chad Mendes (+200)

Preliminary Card
Antonio Carvalho (-225) vs. Felipe Arantes (+175)
Mike Pyle (-460) vs. Ricardo Funch (+340)
Yuri Alcantara (-195) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (+160)
Sam Stout (EV) vs. Thiago Tavares (-140)
Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs. Edinaldo Oliveira (-110)

UFC 142 goes down this Saturday from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and though it doesn’t feature quite as epic a lineup as the UFC’s return to Brazil at UFC 134, the fact that the card has still maintained its two marquee match-ups is something to brag about, if only due to how cursed a card this has been. So if you, like Siyar Bahadurzada, Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, and Fabio Maldanado, find yourself watching the action from the sidelines on Saturday night and suddenly in need of some extra dough, then we are here to help. Check out the betting lines below, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for some sound betting advice.

Main Card
Erick Silva (-525) vs. Carlo Prater (+415)
Edson Barboza (-270) vs. Terry Etim (+230)
Rousimar Palhares (-525) vs. Mike Massenzio (+415)
Anthony Johnson (-110) vs. Vitor Belfort (-110)
Jose Aldo (-240) vs. Chad Mendes (+200)

Preliminary Card
Antonio Carvalho (-225) vs. Felipe Arantes (+175)
Mike Pyle (-460) vs. Ricardo Funch (+340)
Yuri Alcantara (-195) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (+160)
Sam Stout (EV) vs. Thiago Tavares (-140)
Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs. Edinaldo Oliveira (-110)

The Main Event: While there is little denying Jose Aldo’s dominance up to this point, a glaring factor leading into his fight with Chad Mendes is that he has NEVER EVER faced a wrestler as strong as “Money.” And though he’s brought in Gray Maynard to help him prepare for the Team Alpha Male standout, you can only catch up so quickly to a PAC-10 wrestler of the year who has achieved the rank of All-American as well. If Mendes wants to win this, it’s obvious that he’s going to have to take it to the ground, which is easier said than done against a guy like Aldo. Kenny Florian tried it for the majority of five rounds to little avail, but Mendes might just have a speed advantage over the champ which could allow him to put “Scarface” on his back early and often.

And of course, there is always that cardio factor to contemplate. We’ve seen Aldo go five rounds on multiple occasions, but he has shown a tendency to coast, if you will, in the championship rounds. Mendes, on the other hand, has yet to go five rounds, but has never looked even remotely tired in any of the eight decision victories he has collected in eleven fights. But Aldo will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd, so you can damn well rest assured that he’ll be trying to end things early and get back to the sex filled game of beach volleyball that is Brazilian life.

The Good Dogs: At first glance, it seems a little odd that Sam Stout would be billed as a slight underdog against Thiago Tavares, who has never been a man of consistency in his octagon career. But perhaps the bookies are basing Stout’s mindset heading into this one on that of his teammate, Mark Hominick, who didn’t exactly look like himself in his seven second knockout loss at the hands of Chan Sung-Jung. Personally, we’re not buying that, and think Stout should easily hand Tavares an ass whooping, though it won’t really net you much if he does.

Michihiro Omigawa also looks pretty tempting at +160; he showed some crisp, varied striking attacks in his most recent win over Jason Young, and should really be on a two fight win streak considering the fact that everyone but the judges knew he beat Darren Elkins at UFC 131. You could place a bet on Terry Etim if you feel so inclined, but there was little to take away from his 17 second guillotine of Edward Faaloloto (which was Etims first fight in nearly two years, BTW). We recommend you take any leftover cash you might have and make a side bet with your friends as to which limb of Mike Massenzio’s Rousimar Palhares is going to tear off, or how long he will hold the submission after the ref intervenes, or how early he will begin to celebrate, or…

Stay the Hell Away From: The Johnson/Belfort match, for obvious reasons. This is Johnson’s first fight in a weight class remotely close to the one he should be fighting in, and if he feared Dan Hardy’s hands enough to warrant a three round grapple fest, God knows what he’s going to do against a guy like Belfort. Just sit back and enjoy this one, because it ain’t going the distance. We were going to add the recently un-retired Gabe Gonzaga to this list, but if the man is good at one thing, it’s crushing relative unknowns (and we’re secretly praying that Oliveira comes down with a case of the octagon jitters). Also, Rousimar Palhares. Just stay away from him in general.

Official CagePotato Parlay: This one is tough, because a lot of the favorites are listed miles ahead of their competitors, so we’re going to have to stretch out our parlay if we want some real return.

Aldo + Barboza + Pyle + Palhares+ Gonzaga

50 bucks gets you $207.91 back. Not bad for a parlay composed entirely of favorites.

-Danga