UFC 179 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes 2: Latest Twitter Hype Before UFC 179

It has taken almost three years, but Chad Mendes will finally get his chance to rematch Jose Aldo. The two featherweights will main-event UFC 179, and Aldo’s featherweight title will again be on the line.
The fight will also take place in Rio de …

The fight will also take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is where the Manaus, Amazonas-born champion currently fights out of. Mendes is hoping that’s where the similarities end.

In their first meeting, Aldo landed a knee to Mendes’ head that knocked him out with just one second remaining in the first round. Aldo ran into the crowd of adoring fans and left Mendes in the cage to recover and rebuild.

After five straight wins, with four coming by stoppage, Mendes is ready to go back to war. He says he’s a better fighter.

We’ll see on Saturday night.

While there’s a good amount of attention on the combatants, a certain featherweight contender with a humongous following has bogarted his way into the backstory of this bout.

The Notorious One Lurks

Having established himself as much more than a fighter with mic skills, Conor McGregor is perhaps the most must-see competitor in the UFC this side of Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey. The fact that he’s established that type of popularity without having won a title is amazing.

His devastating punching power may only be surpassed in potency by his venomous tongue. Shortly after vanquishing Dustin Poirier in his last outing, McGregor took aim at both Mendes and Aldo.

McGregor is no dummy. He’s thinking one and perhaps two steps ahead of the game with this strategy. He wants to set himself up to face the winner of Saturday’s bout. It was recently confirmed that McGregor will face Denis Siver at UFC Fight Night in Boston in January.

That’s a perfect tune-up and soon enough to set up McGregor to face the winner of Aldo vs. Mendes, should he beat Siver.

The Two Combatants

Aldo’s counterstriking skills are excellent. His legs are probably the quickest in the sport. Perhaps Edson Barboza is the only man in the same ballpark in that category. Even though Aldo excels in countering, he’s giving off signals that he plans to be the aggressor in his rematch with Mendes.

Oftentimes, champions tend to fight defensively because, after all, they are defending their titles. Aldo has seemingly taken this approach in his recent fights. He hasn’t stopped an opponent with strikes since he beat Mendes.

The TKO win over Chan Sung Jung came when the challenger injured his shoulder.

If he’s true to his word, he may press the action. That could make this fight a short one. Because both men have good power, it could be a tough night for either of them.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Aldo vs. Mendes 2: Latest Comments and Predictions for UFC 179

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 ver…

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 179: Start Time, Prelim Live Stream Info and Full Fight Card Predictions

Revenge is on the mind of Chad “Money” Mendes as he heads into his rematch with UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo on Saturday. When the two men met in Jan. 2013, Aldo landed a knee to the head of Mendes and knocked him out with just one second remai…

Aldo spilled out into the crowd of adoring fans in the HSBC Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Mendes was left to pick up the pieces.

Since the crushing defeat, Mendes has won five straight fights scoring stoppages in all but one of them. He’s as ready as he’ll ever be to challenge Aldo again. He says he’s gotten better since the first fight.

But is he good enough to beat one of the very best fighters in the world? He’ll have to journey back to Brazil to accomplish his goal.

It wouldn’t be the biggest shock to see Mendes pull off a win. He’s a dynamic and strong performer. Were it not for Aldo, Mendes would probably be enjoying his own lengthy run as king of the 145-pounders. That said, Aldo’s speed, home-field advantage and experience in championship fights will likely be the difference in the rematch.

From a pure striking and speed standpoint, the only fighters who are quicker than Aldo are flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and 125-pound contender John Dodson.

Fighting in Brazil again is another factor that can’t be overlooked.

Aldo is one of the most beloved fighters in his home country. The energy and potential influence on the judges is real. Lastly, the experience advantage is significantly in favor of the champion.

Aldo has gone the distance in championship fights five times in his career. Mendes has never fought that long. He’s a bulkier and more muscular guy who also figures to be charged with adrenaline for a very important rematch. There’s a decent chance he may not have great wind late. Based on those details, Aldo should win this fight by decision.

Here’s a look at predictions for every fight on Saturday’s card, as well as times and viewing information for the event. Just beneath the table is a look at the bout with the best chance of earning Fight of the Night honors.

Martins vs. Elkins Could Be Outstanding

The best fights often pit two contrasting styles against one another. That’s exactly what we have with Elkins vs. Martins. The former is a classic grappler, while Martins brings dangerous striking into the cage.

The man who is able to dictate the identity of the fight and/or handle himself outside of his comfort zone will prevail. Elkins has no chance to beat Martins if the fight stays standing. Martins could be in deep water if he spends too much time on the ground with Elkins, but his grappling is a bit better than his opponent’s striking.

Martins does own two submission wins in the UFC. While Elkins likely still has the edge on the ground, it won’t be the wipeout some might expect. As a striker, Elkins is slow and plodding. Against a fighter like Martins, that could be a recipe for eating a nasty and deadly counter strike.

Fighting in front of his home crowd, Martins is my pick to produce an explosive and exciting win for himself and his fans. Martins will defend the takedown just enough to keep the majority of the bout in stand up before he finally catches Elkins with a shot that changes the night.

It has to come relatively early as a three-round war on the ground will not favor the Brazilian. He’s thinner, thus carrying Elkins‘ weight is more likely to wear him down. It’s feasible that Elkins may take a shot or two in the first round as he tries to close distance. However, once he gets the bout to the ground, he’ll control a close and hard-to-score opening round because of top position.

In the second round, Martins’ speed and strong striking will make all the difference. Martins stands 6’0″ tall compared to the 5’10” Elkins. Martins also looks to have the longer arms. Coupled with a natural edge in athleticism, the length will allow Martins to touch his opponent before he can get in position for the takedown.

By hand or foot, he’ll connect with Elkins‘ head to grab a KO win. The struggle before the finish should still be exciting.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 179: Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes meet in a featherweight title rematch in the main event of UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro.
As part of the 11-fight card, No. 4-ranked light heavyweight Glover Teixeira takes on No. 6-ranked Phil Davis in the co-main event.
Bleacher…

Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes meet in a featherweight title rematch in the main event of UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro.

As part of the 11-fight card, No. 4-ranked light heavyweight Glover Teixeira takes on No. 6-ranked Phil Davis in the co-main event.

Bleacher Report will be here to chronicle the entire event for you on Saturday evening. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required) for two bouts before moving to Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. The five-fight main card kicks off on PPV at 10 p.m. ET.

Come back here on Saturday night for complete analysis and play-by-play of UFC 179.

UFC 179 Fight Card

Jose Aldo (145) vs. Chad Mendes (145)
Glover Teixeira (205) vs. Phil Davis (205)
Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Hans Stringer (206)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Lucas Martins (146)
Carlos Diego Ferreira (156) vs. Beneil Dariush (156)
William Macario (170) vs. Neil Magny (171)
Yan Cabral (156) vs. Naoyuki Kotani (155)
Scott Jorgensen (128) vs. Wilson Reis (125)
Felipe Arantes (146) vs. Andre Fili (146)
Gilbert Burns (155) vs. Christos Giagos (156)
Fabricio Camoes (158) vs. Tony Martin (157)

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Conor McGregor to Featherweight Champ Jose Aldo: ‘You’re Going to Die’

Surging UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor decided to fight again instead of waiting for a title shot, but 145-pound champ Jose Aldo is still in his crosshairs.
“The Notorious” did a Q&A session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil prior to the …

Surging UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor decided to fight again instead of waiting for a title shot, but 145-pound champ Jose Aldo is still in his crosshairs.

“The Notorious” did a Q&A session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil prior to the UFC 179 weigh-ins, and while the crowd did not give the Irish striker a warm welcome, he still spoke his mind (h/t FOX Sports).

I am the No. 1 contender. The next time Jose steps into the Octagon after Saturday night it will be to face me. In the meantime, I took a fight with Dennis Siver to eliminate another contender. It’s as simple as that,” McGregor explained … (Aldo) has not submitted or knocked out anybody in the past five years. How’s he going to touch me? I will be too quick for him. I will be too powerful. I will put him away.

In the midst of heckling and taunting in Portuguese, McGregor managed to fire off the phrase “Jose Aldo — u vai morrer,” which translates to “you’re going to die”.

“Scarface,” the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC’s official rankings, looks to make his seventh consecutive title defense in front of his UFC 179 home crowd tonight.

The Brazilian striker once again encounters American rival Chad “Money” Mendes, whom he defeated by knockout at UFC 142 in January 2012.

The loss is the only one in Mendes‘ 17-fight career, rebounding since then with five straight victories (four knockouts).

Meanwhile, McGregor has won 12 fights in a row, four of which were contested inside the Octagon (three knockouts).

Shortly after his decisive finish of perennial contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 in September, UFC President Dana White said McGregor could get the next championship bout at featherweight, per MMA Fighting.

However, the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship dual titleholder instead opted for a matchup with musclebound Russian-German striker Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 in January.

Will Aldo once again roll through Mendes and punch his ticket for a grudge match with McGregor or will either Mendes and/or Siver manage to successfully play the role of spoiler?

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com