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UFC 142: What Chad Mendes Can Learn from Urijah Faber’s Mistakes vs. Jose Aldo

In the main event for UFC 142, two fighters with a combined featherweight record of 31-0 will finally face off. Current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will face former NCAA D-1 national wrestling champion runner-up Chad Mendes with the chall…

In the main event for UFC 142, two fighters with a combined featherweight record of 31-0 will finally face off.

Current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will face former NCAA D-1 national wrestling champion runner-up Chad Mendes with the challenger facing a huge step up in competition.

However, Mendes has a great shoulder to lean on and get advice from in his Team Alpha Male leader Urijah Faber, a man who defended the belt five times before. That advice is going to be key for Mendes, as he will need to learn from Faber’s mistakes in order to bring home the belt.

Despite being 16 months older than Aldo, Mendes has 10 less fights under his belt with this fight also being his first main event of his career.

Luckily for Mendes, he has one of the most experienced lighter weight fighters in the world in his training camp and ear every night.

Faber started his career at 21-1 including going 11-0 in title fights before dropping four in a row.

“The California Kid,” more importantly, was defeated in dominant fashion in his last featherweight fight by Jose Aldo just 21 months ago while learning Aldo’s number one weapon against wrestlers: his leg kicks.

One of the most important things Chad can learn from Urijah is that he needs to take Aldo’s kickboxing seriously, if he doesn’t he will end up as bruised and hobbled as Faber did.

Urijah also learned that Aldo cannot just be muscled to the ground; he is a crafty defensive wrestler but can be attacked with the right game plan.

Overall, it is difficult to take much from Aldo-Faber because the champion thoroughly dominated the fight and was never challenged.

What Mendes can truly learn from Faber is what the former champion has done since that defeat.

With a 3-1 record in his last four fights, Faber has redefined himself as a fighter and learned from his mistakes.

Several key points of his redesigned style can be translated to his title challenging teammate.

Being patient, setting up takedowns, using both hands and throwing strikes to the body are just a few things that Faber has done better in his recent run that are going to be things that Mendes needs to incorporate in his game plan if he expects to win.

Against a fighter as skilled and talented as Jose Aldo, a great game plan is going to be key in finding a way to hand him his first defeat at featherweight.

By being patient and not attacking early, Mendes can try and take advantage of Aldo’s suspect gas tank.

“Scarface” will be taking on the most accomplished and skilled takedown artist of his career, yet he will not need to worry if Mendes doesn’t set up his takedowns.

Aldo has the skill to keep the fighting standing if Mendes tries to just use his speed and skills much like Faber did earlier in his career.

The most important lesson Chad Mendes can learn from Faber is how to use his striking and where to place his punches.

Before Faber’s last title defeat, his striking was limited to just a big right hand, with most of his strikes being headshots. Since then, he has expanded his game, developing a left hand and throwing body blows with much more frequency.

This will be key to defeat Aldo because it will not only make Aldo aware of both hands but also burn his stamina quickly. Body blows are a great way to slow down an opponent and they will be that much more important against a fast fighter like Aldo.

If Chad Mendes wants to bring home the UFC gold from Brazil this Saturday, he will need to implement several of the lessons Urijah Faber learned from his nearly 20 title fights.

It will be up to him to end the Team Alpha Male’s current title fight losing streak.

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UFC 142: Ranking Aldo’s Most Dangerous Title Threats

At UFC 142, Jose Aldo will arguably face his most dangerous opponent to date in Chad “Money” Mendes, a high-level, undefeated wrestler.The rest of the division has also been active as of late. Florian has decided to move up in division, Homi…

At UFC 142, Jose Aldo will arguably face his most dangerous opponent to date in Chad “Money” Mendes, a high-level, undefeated wrestler.

The rest of the division has also been active as of late. Florian has decided to move up in division, Hominick has fallen in the rankings, Hioki has entered the UFC and prospects continue to impress.

Aldo will be tested by Mendes, but even if he emerges victorious he won’t catch much of a break.

Here are Aldo’s most dangerous contenders at featherweight.

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UFC 142 Picks: The Ascension of Chad Mendes and the Revival of Vitor Belfort

This Saturday, the UFC presents its first major card of the year and the second major card of its newest foray into Brazil. Filled with top Brazilian stars (both present and former champions), UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes has high potential to be a quality event. In the main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo defends his title once again, this time drawing unbeaten prospect Chad Mendes. The co-main event should also be something special, as Anthony Johnson takes on Vitor Belfort. Here are my official picks and predictions for UFC 142.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim: Now this is a tough one. Barboza is undefeated and a good striker; Etim is 3-1 in his last four with all three victories earning him a “Submission of the Night” bonus. I think the deciding factor in this match-up will be the experience of Etim, who should be able to neutralize Barboza’s stand-up and work his magic on the ground. After a round of tiring out Barboza and getting him frustrated so that he starts making mistakes, I’m predicting that Terry Etim wins by submission in Round 2.

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater: I won’t lie: I really want Carlo Prater to win this fight. This may sound strange at first glance, but this is one of the toughest choices I had to make when it comes to my UFC 142 predictions. Prater really is a “dark horse favorite” of mine; I’ll root for him no matter what. But my head ends up overruling my heart in this case, as I think Erick Silva is just too hot of a prospect right now. Erick Silva wins by KO in Round 1.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio: Assuming that Rousimar Palhares doesn’t do anything stupid or crazy (or stupidly crazy), he should win this bout handily. Then again, that’s assuming a lot given his recent penchant for doing crazy things. Still, I just can’t pick against Rousimar Palhares in this fight, considering that he’s beaten good competition lately and his opponent is 2-3 in his last five fights. I’m thinking that Massenzio comes in overeager and ends up getting caught in a submission. Rousimar Palhares wins by submission in Round 1.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson: Let me say this for both the co-main and main event fights: Just because I’m picking one guy to win doesn’t mean I think the other guy can’t win. In fact, I’d consider both the co-main and main event fights toss-ups. In the end, I think this will just be too tough of a match-up for Anthony Johnson. The jump up in weight will be a factor, but the biggest factor will be the simple fact that Vitor Belfort is the biggest challenge of Johnson’s career. The first round will probably be close, but my official prediction is that Belfort catches Johnson in the second. Vitor Belfort wins by TKO in Round 2.

José Aldo vs. Chad Mendes: Nine times out of 10, you’d have to force me to pick against Jose Aldo. But a combination of factors leads me to believe that Mendes is the one to beat the UFC’s Featherweight kingpin. One, Aldo’s aura of an unbeatable champion has really taken a hit in his last two fights. He won those fights, sure, but both opponents were able to expose some weaknesses in him. Two, Mendes is simply an amazing fighter. It’ll be a war, and a damn close one, but my official prediction is that Chad Mendes wins by unanimous decision, taking three rounds to Aldo’s two.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.

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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)

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

Countdown to UFC Rio: Aldo vs. Mendes Video

The UFC is taking the Octagon to the HSBC Arena for UFC 142, which goes down this weekend and features a main event between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes.Countdown to UFC 142 takes fans into the tra…

The UFC is taking the Octagon to the HSBC Arena for UFC 142, which goes down this weekend and features a main event between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes.

Countdown to UFC 142 takes fans into the training camps of each fighter and also gives a behind-the-scenes look at their personal lives from outside the cage.

Mendes enters the bout with a perfect 11-0 record. The former NCAA Division I wrestler is 2-0 in the UFC with wins over Rani Yahya and Michihiro Omigawa. He also went 4-0 in the WEC before the UFC absorbed the 145-pound weight class.

Aldo will be making the third defense of the title in his hometown, and it might be his last fight in the division, win or lose. He was last seen defending the title against Kenny Florian, winning a unanimous decision over five rounds. His other defense came against Mark Hominick, also by unanimous decision.

The pay-per-view main card will also include Anthony Johnson vs. Vitor Belfort, Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio, Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater and Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim.

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Can Jose Aldo Sell a Featherweight Main Event to Casual Fans at UFC 142?

This Saturday Jose Aldo defends his featherweight title against Chad Mendes in Brazil at UFC 142. When he does he will face his ultimate test.Seeing how much of a pay-per-view draw he is.The card is a good one, but the only recognizable other tha…

This Saturday Jose Aldo defends his featherweight title against Chad Mendes in Brazil at UFC 142. When he does he will face his ultimate test.

Seeing how much of a pay-per-view draw he is.

The card is a good one, but the only recognizable other than Aldo is Vitor Belfort. Most of the fights on the card may end up being great, but they have unknown fighters in them.

Aldo is going to make his main event debut without much of a supporting cast ,and it will set the stage for how he is going to be marketed throughout his UFC career.

Defending the belt is something Aldo has done twice in the UFC successfully. Mendes is a serious challenger and will push Aldo, but it isn’t anything he hasn’t faced before.

Trying to sell a PPV to casual fans will be a different story.

Traditionally in combat sports, it is the heavier fighters who can sell PPVs and events to the public. In boxing, heavyweights were the biggest draw and even with the division in a less-than-interesting state the smaller weights haven’t been able to make the difference needed.

There are always exceptions to this case, such as Urijah Faber, who will always draw well. He is the Oscar De La Hoya of MMA and with one flash of a smile can make even fringe fans tune in.

Aldo hasn’t proven that he can. It isn’t as if the Brazilian featherweight isn’t fun to watch. He is undefeated in his WEC and UFC careers and usually knocks opponents out. His double-knee KO of Cub Swanson is a thing of beauty to watch.

But Aldo can’t speak English and he isn’t someone who has been marketed seriously outside the UFC.

He may be a fan favorite, but it has yet to be seen.

Once the pay-per-view numbers become available fans will get to see what kind of fighter Aldo is and what impact the lower weight classes can make in MMA. If the numbers are healthy, Aldo is a proven draw and will get another main event slot and the money and prestige that comes with it.

If he fails he will return to co-main event status.

More importantly, it will show that lighter weights are going to have to deal with the same issues their boxing counterparts suffer from: the ability to put on fights and not have anyone watch them because they aren’t big enough.

Hopefully, Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes get a decent buyrate this Saturday and show the world that not only is MMA growing, but fighters don’t need to look like Brock Lesnar to succeed.

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