As if anyone needed further validation of Jose Aldo’s greatness, the champ put on a display at UFC 179 that reminded fans of his former WEC days.
Aldo’s fight with Chad Mendes started nearly the same as the T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao…
As if anyone needed further validation of Jose Aldo’s greatness, the champ put on a display at UFC 179 that reminded fans of his former WEC days.
Aldo’s fight with Chad Mendes started nearly the same as the T.J. Dillashaw vs. RenanBarao bout earlier this year, with the Team Alpha Male fighter dropping the champion early. But instead of the knockdown setting the tone for the entire fight, Aldo’s championship resolve showed through as the Brazilian scored a knockdown of his own to end the first frame.
In the end, Aldo did enough to defeat Mendes and retain his belt. The champion may have been marked up on his face more than we’ve seen in quite some time, but Aldo cemented (if it wasn’t clear before the fight) that he’s the best featherweight of all time.
The fight with Mendes was billed as a grudge match between two rival gyms, so there was some emotional investment with both fighters heading into this fight. Given that and Aldo’s bruises, it will likely be some time before we see the Brazilian back in the cage.
When Aldo does return, he’ll have no shortage of bout agreements to sign.
There is a prince and a joker in the featherweight division, but Jose Aldo is king.
With his countrymen surrounding the cage, the featherweight champion successfully defended his throne for a second time against perennial contender Chad Mendes. The fig…
There is a prince and a joker in the featherweight division, but Jose Aldo is king.
With his countrymen surrounding the cage, the featherweight champion successfully defended his throne for a second time against perennial contender Chad Mendes. The fight was the main event of UFC 179 in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil.
Mendes, a world-class wrestler by all accounts, showed significant improvement in his stand-up, punishing Aldo on the feet at times with a lead uppercut. There weren’t any flash knockouts or crowd surfing this time around. Mendes has greatly evolved from that one-dimensional contender two years ago, and it showed Saturday night.
The Team Alpha Male member heavily relied on his newfound stand-up skills almost to a fault, opting to stand and bang with one of the best strikers in the world. There were a few takedown attempts, but for the most part, Mendes seemed content to stand in front of Aldo and fight with his fists.
The Brazilian obliged the gutsy contender in a highly entertaining stand-up scrap that left the crowd on its feet.
Aldo’s speed and technique were on full display as he edged Mendes in a kickboxing match. He kept the burly contender at bay with a laser-accurate jab while stepping in at times to rip hooks to the head and body. Mendes, who was dropped multiple times in the fight, showed a tremendous chin and a tenacity to continue to remain competitive in the stand-up exchanges.
But the night belonged to Aldo. He earned another unanimous-decision nod and tied Jon Jones for the third-most consecutive title defenses in UFC history. After the fight, the champ complimented Mendes on being a tough outing while also taking aim at top featherweight contender ConorMcGregor.
McGregor is slated to fight Dennis Siver on January 18 at UFC Fight Night 59. A win should put him next in line to challenge Aldo for the featherweight title.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
The rematch between defending featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes was the most anticipated fight on the UFC 179 card, and the main event did not disappoint.
Aldo retained his championship via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-4…
The rematch between defending featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Chad Mendes was the most anticipated fight on the UFC 179 card, and the main event did not disappoint.
Aldo retained his championship via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46), but MMA fans are already talking about what’s next for both the champion and Saturday’s challenger.
Here are the full results from UFC 179 and a breakdown of what’s next for both fighters.
What’s Next for Jose Aldo
Several fighters in the featherweight division arguably deserve a title shot following Aldo’s win on Saturday, but none more so than Irish star ConorMcGregor.
Aldo has been an ideal champion for UFC, taking a blue-collar approach to the business and the media. The reigning champion has never talked too much trash and has backed up everything he has said with elite performances in the Octagon.
Aldo has never fought a challenger as unpredictable as McGregor, though, and the Irish star warned the champion that he was coming on Twitter:
After 18 straight victories, Aldo has done and seen it all inside the Octagon, but McGregor is not your run-of-the-mill challenger. The Irishman has won 12 fights in a row and each of his first four fights in the UFC.
If McGregor beats Dennis Siver in January, Dana White and company officials will have no choice but to give the entertaining a fighter a shot at the title. With 10 of his last 12 fights ending in a KO or TKO victory, McGregor would likely provide a stiff test to Aldo.
What’s Next for Chad Mendes
The loss will be devastating for Mendes, but he had an incredible performance. Aldo is the cream of the crop and one of the toughest pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and Mendes deserves credit for going all five rounds and earning the Fight of the Night bonus.
When asked about Aldo landing a clean shot and how he survived the remainder of the fight, Mendes told Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, via ABCNews.com, “He rung my bell for sure. I was rushing to get my wits back. Holy s—; that was fun. I’ve got to be honest: I was just going so hard that I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
Now it’s time for Mendes and the UFC to look ahead and see what’s next for the former No. 1 contender. There is no question that he deserves a marquee fight after truly challenging Aldo in the title match, and his next bout will be the most important of his career.
With top featherweight contenders Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson scheduled to square off in November at UFC Fight Night 57, Mendes should be aiming for the loser of that fight as his first bout on the climb back into the title picture.
The winner of Edgar vs. Swanson will be considered one of the top contenders for Aldo’s title, but Mendes will need to win at least three fights to get back into the title hunt. Beating either Edgar or Swanson would be a great first step toward redemption.
UFC 179 didn’t turn out to be the most entertaining card ever, but it did yield some big winners on Saturday night.
Phil Davis stepped up to the plate in a big way on foreign soil. The former Penn State wrestler took care of a hometown hero in Gl…
UFC 179 didn’t turn out to be the most entertaining card ever, but it did yield some big winners on Saturday night.
Phil Davis stepped up to the plate in a big way on foreign soil. The former Penn State wrestler took care of a hometown hero in Glover Teixeira in the co-main event. Jose Aldo put on yet another showcase of his incredible skills, while the undercard was littered with those who earned impressive stoppage wins.
With a few big wins now in the book, the focus shifts to the future. What’s next for the fighters who made a statement in Rio deJaneiro?
Here’s a look at the complete results from the card followed by a forecast for what direction some of the biggest winners will be headed.
Neil Magny
Welterweight Neil Magny wasn’t necessarily one of the night’s biggest winners because of his performance. After all, his opponent, William Macario, was still fairly raw at just 23 years old. But the fact that it was a record fifth win for the 26-year-old in 2014 makes him a winner.
And an interesting guy to project going forward.
On one hand, the Brazilian has earned the right to jump up in competition. A five-fight winning streak will do that for you. On the other hand, he suffered back-to-back losses against Seth Baczynski and Sergio Moraes in 2013 prior to his big 2014.
So will Magny wilt against better competition?
The only thing left to do now is find out. Adam Martin of MMA Odds Breaker has an idea for an opponent to test the legitimacy of Magny‘s record:
With Story coming off a momentous split-decision win over Gunnar Nelson, the matchup would be an interesting battle of fighters who are trending upward.
Wilson Reis
Glover Teixeira aside, Saturday was a big night for a few Brazilians. Few had a better night than 29-year-old flyweight Wilson Reis.
The fact that Reis won his fight wasn’t a big deal. Beating Scott Jorgensen hasn’t been an impressive feat lately. The 32-year-old is now just 2-6 over last the two years.
What was impressive was the way in which Reis won. He dominated the fight on the feet, peppering Jorgensen with some nasty strikes to the body, and the ground, where he locked up the submission that ended the bout in Round 1.
Patrick Wyman of Sherdog tweeted a photo of some of Reis‘ handiwork:
With Reis now 2-1 in the UFC, it isn’t likely that he’s ready for a huge step up in competition just yet. As MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported, Reis would like to fight the winner of the upcoming bout between John Moraga and JussierFormiga.
However, expect the UFC to bring him along a little bit slower than that. With the pool of contenders for champion Demetrious Johnson to take on dwindling, the organization should look to develop Reis as a contender more gradually.
That means he’ll be taking on a much lesser opponent than Moraga or Formiga in the near future.
Phil Davis
It felt obvious that Phil Davis was the biggest winner of the night. He wasn’t expected to win but needed to find a way if he wanted to lessen the damage his title campaign took when he lost to Anthony Johnson.
As it turns out, he was ready to do just that.
Davis got back to basics in this win. He relied heavily on his takedowns as he threw his Brazilian opponent to the mat nine times, per FightMetric.
Looking ahead, Davis’ next move was almost as surprising as his domination in the bout. He called out Anderson Silva.
That fight isn’t likely to happen. Silva is a bit preoccupied with Nick Diaz right now and likely wants nothing to do with Davis’ wrestling ability. Damon Martin of Fox Sports has a better idea, though:
Ryan Bader is also coming off an impressive win over Ovince Saint Preux in a five-round main event. The winner of that bout would have a fairly strong argument to enter the title picture.
UFC 179 was a solid showing for Phil Davis—a night for him to remind the world that he’s actually pretty good at this MMA thing. He kept Glover Teixeira guessing for their entire bout, holding his own on the feet and dominating the action on the …
UFC 179 was a solid showing for Phil Davis—a night for him to remind the world that he’s actually pretty good at this MMA thing. He kept Glover Teixeira guessing for their entire bout, holding his own on the feet and dominating the action on the ground.
While many were eulogizing his career only a few short months ago, Davis is now right back in the mix of contention and will be looking to climb the ladder that much more in his next bout.
Here are three suggestions for who he should see across the cage.
Both men were once hot prospects as wrestlers who were riding raw athleticism to the highest peaks of the UFC. Both were set back at various points and in various ways, and now they’ve each settled into a role on the fringe of the divisional elite.
If they meet up, the winner would become a contender, while the loser would become a forgotten entity in the Top 10, once and for all.
It’s a pretty intriguing bout with interesting stakes.
Ovince Saint Preux
Saint Preux is a freak athlete on the level of Davis. Even though he’s coming off a loss, there’s a lot to like in matching up the two. Saint Preux is still something of an unknown commodity in the Top 10, while Davis has never fought a man of such sheer power and athletic pedigree.
At this stage in the game, with so many cards and so few options available for a man at the level of Davis in the light heavyweight division, this one could take place as an appealing bout built on circumstance.
Winner of Shogun Rua vs. JimiManuwa
Regardless of who comes out on top in the bout between Rua and Manuwa, he’ll get a bump in the rankings and lay claim to another elite opponent.
Davis, fresh off his impressive defeat of Teixeira and with limited options, could be that opponent. The schedules line up, and all parties involved have similar stakes in the title hunt, so there could be something to like there for fans and the UFC.
UFC 179 provided fans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a little bit of everything on Saturday night.
The card—which featured a heavy Brazilian flavor—saw some history made, a few upsets and yet another successful title defense by one of…
UFC 179 provided fans in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil with a little bit of everything on Saturday night.
The card—which featured a heavy Brazilian flavor—saw some history made, a few upsets and yet another successful title defense by one of the country’s most beloved fighters.
In all, 11 fighters had their hands raised in victory by the end of the night. Here’s a look at the results, plus a closer look at the best performances of the night.
Most Impressive Performances
Neil Magny Enters the Record Books with TKO Win Over William Macario
Welterweight Neil Magny entered 2014 on the heels of a disappointing two-fight losing streak. Fast forward 10 months and the 26-year-old is now a UFC record-holder.
According to the UFC’s official Twitter feed, the Brazilian tied Roger Huerta for the most victories in a calendar year. His impressive TKO victory on Saturday was his fifth victory in 2014:
Granted, Magny‘s victories haven’t been against the best of competition. Macario came in as a 23-year-old The Ultimate Fighter runner-up with a 1-1 record in the UFC. But a five-fight win streak in one year is impressive regardless of competition.
Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie even posited that Magny should receive a post-fight bonus for the feat:
After this win it may be time for Magny to get a shot at some real competition. At 6’3″ he’s an incredibly long welterweight who has shown he can dominate lesser competition.
Phil Davis Manhandles Glover Teixeira to Unanimous Decision
It was dejavu all over again for Phil Davis on Saturday night. For the fourth time in his last five fights he found himself going against a Brazilian who was favored to win.
For the fourth time in his last five fights, Davis proved everyone wrong.
The former All-American wrestler used his superior grappling to ragdoll Teixeira throughout the three-round bout. Michael Carroll of FightMetric provided some insight into Davis’ career day:
Coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Anthony Johnson, Davis had his back against the wall going against the No. 4 light heavyweight in the UFC rankings. But picking up the win over Teixeira in Brazil should have him in line to continue his rise to the top of the heap at 205 pounds.
So what did Davis do after pulling off the upset in front of a raucous Brazilian crowd?
Call out the highest-profile Brazilian fighter of them all, of course:
Jose Aldo Successfully Defends Title against Improved Chad Mendes
The recent success of Demetrious Johnson has led Mighty Mouse to climb the pound-for-pound rankings. It’s also begged the question, who is the UFC’s best little man?
At UFC 179, Jose Aldo emphatically reminded everyone that he is.
Despite a commendable effort from a vastly improved Chad Mendes, the 28-year-old champion outpointed his challenger throughout five rounds. While Money was able to take Aldo down once, the fight mostly took place on the feet.
And that’s where Aldo set a career high of his own, according to Carroll:
Just when you think that Aldo has maxed out his skills, he goes and puts on a performance like the one he delivered on Saturday. That’s why he will remain near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings for the foreseeable future.
The rematch between defending featherweight champion