Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes are set for a Saturday night rematch for the featherweight title at UFC 179. It will be the main event of a card welcoming back the UFC with a bang.
The premier MMA organization has been on somewhat of a hiatus with no events …
Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes are set for a Saturday night rematch for the featherweight title at UFC 179. It will be the main event of a card welcoming back the UFC with a bang.
The premier MMA organization has been on somewhat of a hiatus with no events since the Oct. 4 Fight Night in Sweden, but five strong main card bouts will get things started once again. It’s highlighted, of course, by a rematch of a 2012 fight in which Aldo knocked out Mendes in the first round.
But Mendes has gone a perfect 5-0 since that—the only defeat of his career—and he’ll have his shot at avenging that defeat Saturday.
The main event is inching nearer and nearer, so let’s make some early predictions as to how Aldo-Mendes II will go down.
Don’t Expect Another One-Round Affair
Aldo took care of Mendes with a brutal knee before the final buzzer for Round 1 sounded, but it seemed like a fight that could go the distance before that ending.
The then-undefeated Mendes—primarily renowned for his wrestling and takedown dominance—was holding his own for the majority of the round and nearly pulled off a couple of takedowns. Aldo’s winning knee didn’t come until 4:59 (the last second) of Round 1.
Aldo possesses such a strong takedown defense that it’s hard to see even Mendes‘ best frustrating him too much. But as Mendes has shown throughout his last five fights, he has improved considerably and can even grind out long fights like his three-round wins over NikLentz and Clay Guida.
Mendes has been on a mission to get back to this moment, and he won’t let those efforts be derailed in the first five minutes.
Mendes Will Push Aldo Like Never Before
Ever since a 2005 defeat (the only one of his career), Aldo has been unstoppable. But Saturday could prove to be his toughest fight since then.
Aldo is the only featherweight champion the UFC has ever seen, winning the inaugural title after dominating the now-defunct WEC. He hasn’t been seriously tested since topping Mendes, but his opponent has made huge strides since their 2012 meeting.
But despite his own improvements, Mendes doesn’t see too many on Aldo’s side of things, per MMAJunkie.com’s Steven Marrocco.
He seems to be a guy that’s in his comfort zone, because it’s been working. But I think it takes a guy like me with my style to get in there and push a guy like Jose out of his comfort zone, to really test his skill level. Those type of fights always make it entertaining for the fans. I’m going to go out there and test his will, and I’m going to put a hurting on him.
Confident words only mean so much, but in this case, they could really hold some weight. Mendes has knockouts in four of his five matches since facing Aldo, while his opponent only has one in three fights.
It took spectacular defense from Aldo to keep from going to the ground early in their 2012 fight, and he won’t be able to keep from hitting the canvas a few times early in Saturday’s rematch. Although he’ll eventually bounce back, Aldo will be on the ropes early.
Aldo Will Defend Title with Late KO
Mendes may be a much better striker than he was when these two faced off in 2012, but it will take more than that to top a fighter of Aldo’s caliber.
When it comes down to it, there’s no fighter in this weight class that can punish an opponent standing and striking quite like Aldo. Few can boast his takedown defense, which will be beyond key in thwarting Mendes‘ efforts.
He’ll be taken off-guard early, but Aldo will make the adjustments after a few rounds just like the greats do. From then on, he’ll make sure to stay on his feet and wear down Mendes for a late knockout.
Mendes has the skill set to frustrate Aldo, but the talent gap between these two fighters is simply too large.
It has seemed like an eternity, but the UFC is back after a rare break. The promotion returns to pay-per-view in Brazil with UFC 179, which hosts a title fight and other key bouts.
Headlined by a rematch between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes, UFC 179 is he…
It has seemed like an eternity, but the UFC is back after a rare break. The promotion returns to pay-per-view in Brazil with UFC 179, which hosts a title fight and other key bouts.
Headlined by a rematch between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes, UFC 179 is heavy on Brazilian talent and interesting up-and-comers. It boasts names like Glover Teixeira, Phil Davis and Fabio Maldonado, to name a few.
My last round of prelim picks were good to me. We look to keep it that way here, though some of the matchups are tough to call.
Without further ado, here are the prelim predictions for UFC 179.
UFC 179 is on Saturday, and the odds are out.
Jose Aldo defends his UFC Featherweight Championship against No. 1-ranked contender Chad Mendes for the second time. The previous encounter ended with a first-round knockout for Aldo. Since that day, Mendes…
Jose Aldo defends his UFC Featherweight Championship against No. 1-ranked contender Chad Mendes for the second time. The previous encounter ended with a first-round knockout for Aldo. Since that day, Mendes has reeled off five consecutive wins.
In the co-main event of the evening, light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Phil Davis try to get back in the win column. Teixeira has been out of action since his failed bid at the UFC strap, and Davis dropped a potential title eliminator to Anthony Johnson.
Nine more bouts line the UFC 179 card. Bleacher Report will give you information to work with before you lay down on one of the main card fights.
Where is the value? Let’s take a look at the main card betting odds and find the right spots to capitalize on.
The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed h…
The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at the helm, the people who work the pre– and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.
The broadcast table for UFC on Fox Sports 1 has seen a revolving cast of characters over the past year but few have delivered on the level of Daniel Cormier. The two-time Olympic wrestler turned mixed martial artist has been on point every time he’s been tapped for analyst duties, and because of his valuable insight and solid on-screen presence, “D.C.” has been a regular on the pre– and post-fight scene.
In fact, the American Kickboxing Academy staple has done such an admirable job as an analyst he was recently announced as the new co-host of UFC Tonight, which airs on FS1 on Wednesdays. Furthermore, he’s managed to do all of this while tearing his way up the light heavyweight divisional ladder to become the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones’ divisional crown. That’s impressive by any measurable standard but there doesn’t appear to be many things in the MMA realm Cormier can’t do.
The Louisiana native took time out of his busy schedule to mix it up once again for this column and we talked his new position and the upcoming card for UFC 179.
Let’s get things started by talking about this new gig alongside Kenny Florian as the co-host of UFC Tonight. Congrats Mr. Cormier.
Thanks man. It’s a big deal and I love it.
You’ve done a great job behind the desk. You’re undefeated inside the cage. I’m starting to wonder if you ever fail at anything.
[Laughs] That’s not true. I’ve done it time and time again, but I’m lucky, man. I’m a very, very lucky guy.
To be clear, what I meant to say is that it is obvious you don’t like to fail. Is that what is driving you toward the light heavyweight championship?
Oh I hate losing. I hate it more than most people could ever imagine. But with everything that is going on, nothing means more to me than winning that championship belt. In due time. In due time I’m going to get that title.
That’s a perfect segue to the business we are here to talk about. There is a featherweight title on the line this weekend when longtime champion Jose Aldo rematches Chad Mendes at UFC 179. There are a few things I want to ask you and let’s start with Mendes‘ mentality.
The first time he went down there two years ago he ended up on a highlight reel as Aldo scored a crazy knockout in the closing seconds of the opening round. How do you believe he handles going back to Brazil to fight Aldo after he was finished definitively in their first meeting?
If I’m Chad Mendes I went back and said, “What was the gap between me and Jose Aldo?” How big of a gap is there between me and the champ because I know there is a gap between me and everyone else in the 145-pound division. He’s shown that. He’s shown that the rest of these guys can’t really go with him. He’s finished four of his last five fights with a few of them being top-10 guys. How big of a gap was there in the first fight?
Mendes has to replay that first fight and know that when he was taking him down—putting himself in his best position—Aldo grabbed the cage. By grabbing the cage it started a sequence that ended the fight. Honestly, it’s fascinating how that played out. Chad had his back, lifted him up to slam him to the ground, Jose grabs the fence and it starts a sequence where the fight is over five seconds later. That’s crazy, man. You just don’t see that too often.
Is that a compliment on Jose Aldo’s awareness where he knew the opportunity was coming? Or, does that reflect negatively on Mendes because he hesitated for a second and ended up getting popped? Such a little thing caused a crazy finish. As for the gap, if I’m Mendes I look at the entire round. He wasn’t getting outclassed by Aldo in that round and that’s what he needs to build off of. He was actually doing okay and had he secured that takedown, who is to say the judges don’t give him round one? That’s what I build off of. I say to myself it was 1-0 going into round two had there not been an unfortunate sequence that ended the fight.
Another interesting aspect of this fight is the amount of smack talk Aldo and Mendes have launched at one another during the lead up to this fight. While the champion has said his fair share, he’s also mentioned in multiple interviews that fighting is always business never personal. I recently interviewedMendes and he said it is personal because Aldo said some awful things about him and he plans to make him pay for those words. How important does their respective abilities to balance play into this fight?
When you go into a fight in a competitive situation emotions can’t drive you. If emotion carries one of these guys into the fight, whoever that is will lose. It takes too much energy to carry emotions and anger. That’s why street fights never last long. You watch a street fight and it only goes for 15 seconds because the guys are so mad. They are so mad they can’t control themselves. They can’t control their emotions or their breathing and you can’t allow those things to dictate you.
I believe this fight is personal to Mendes, but when that door closes he will compete in a manner a true sportsman should. He’ll compete in the name of sport and honor. If he doesn’t do that and lets emotion run him, he’ll be exhausted by the end of the first round. Then he will be in trouble.
Another big fight on the card for UFC 179 takes place in the light heavyweight division between Glover Teixeira and Phil Davis. Both are coming off losses and how crucial is this fight for both of these guys?
It’s definitely a big fight for both of them, but I think it may be a bigger fight for Phil Davis. If he can win impressively, then he will insert himself back into the title picture where Teixeira just fought for the title and has some work to do. One great performance over a guy who was just the No. 1 contender puts Phil right back where he wants to be.
While this is a big fight for Davis, do you think any of that scope has to do with his current standing in the division? He was a highly touted prospect who rose through the ranks, but he’s faced a few setbacks over the past two years that have served to take a chunk of his momentum away. Do you believe there is pressure on Davis to become the championship contender many believed he would be?
I don’t think there is any pressure in that sense for Phil. The most pressure you should feel should come from within yourself. It shouldn’t come from anything people say or believe; it should come from within yourself. If Phil has inside pressure, he will be fine, but if he starts to take on outside pressure, it won’t be a good thing because that type of pressure will smash you. That’s impossible to do in this sport. I don’t believe he has to live up to anyone’s expectation but his own. So, to answer your question I don’t think there is any added pressure.
As you very well know, winning streaks at the highest level of MMA are difficult to come by and Neil Magny is having an incredible year. The Ultimate Fighter alum has won all four of his showings thus far in 2014, and he’ll be going for history at UFC 179. If he defeats William Macario on Saturday, he’ll make history as the first fighter to win five bouts in a year, yet, his streak has pretty much run under the radar up to this point. What are your thoughts on the state of Magny‘s current run?
He has been relatively quiet and it’s easy to overlook a guy like that because he’s fought on some prelims and fought guys who people aren’t very familiar with. He is also really unassuming in the way he approaches his fights and I think he’s one of those guys who could maybe benefit from thumping his chest just a little bit and say, “Hey look at me. I’ve won four fights in a row. Pay attention. I’m over here working my tail off and I’ve fought five times this year. Look at me because I’m doing good.” He could benefit from thumping his chest just a bit.
Wrapping things up let’s talk about two fights that could turn out to be action-packed. First up we have Andre Fili vs. Felipe Arantes and then let’s discuss Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. BeneilDariush. What are your thoughts on these two scraps?
I think the Fili vs. Arantes fight is going to be sick. I’ve seen these guys fight multiple times and I think it is going to be good. Especially for Fili. This is a kid who comes of Team Alpha Male with Urijah Faber and he looked so great when he first came to the UFC he looked special. That said, he kind of ran into a buzz saw in Max Holloway in his second fight and lost. When you get young guys who are looking to rebuild themselves, and their ego is kind of driving them to put on a show, nothing but good fights can come out of that scenario.
Dariush and Ferreira is going to be a good fight. I think Beneil will be alright if he can get the fight to the ground. I think he’s a little better when he gets things on the ground and can be a bit more opportunistic. That’s going to be a good fight.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
As a recently disgraced UFC broadcaster might say, here we go.
After months of injury delays and one canceled pay-per-view—RIP UFC 176!—Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes will finally rematch on Saturday at UFC 179.
Much has transpired since their f…
As a recently disgraced UFC broadcaster might say, here we go.
After months of injury delays and one canceled pay-per-view—RIP UFC 176!—Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes will finally rematch on Saturday at UFC 179.
Much has transpired since their first semi-controversial meeting back in January of 2012. Mendes has embarked on a crazy K/TKO rampage while Aldo (seemingly always ailing from some injury) has fallen off the radar a bit.
Around them, the 145-pound division has suddenly grown more interesting than ever with the arrival of ConorMcGregor and the emergence of guys like Cub Swanson and Dennis Bermudez. Whoever wins this one will be set for some big fights and maybe some big paydays, too.
Unfortunately, UFC 179 falls off precipitously after the championship main event. The co-main pits Phil Davis against Glover Teixeira in a fight that shapes up as a must-win for both guys.
After that…yeah, it gets pretty bleak.
Nonetheless, MMA lead writers Chad Dundas (that’s me) and Jonathan Snowden have predictions. Bold ones. Do you have what it takes to come along for the ride?
Conor McGregor looked to be having a grand old time at the expense of Chad Mendes on Tuesday’s edition of Beyond the Octagon.
Dressed to the nines, the Irish MMA star was live in the BT Sports studio, where show host Gareth Davies was conducting …
ConorMcGregor looked to be having a grand old time at the expense of Chad Mendes on Tuesday’s edition of Beyond the Octagon.
Dressed to the nines, the Irish MMA star was live in the BT Sports studio, where show host Gareth Davies was conducting a dual interview via Skype with Mendes. It didn’t take long for things to get ugly.
McGregor wasted little time in going for the jugular by poking fun at Mendes’ height and even threatening to rest his man parts on the top featherweight contender’s head. Like so many featherweights before him, Mendes appeared a bit flustered in the smack-talking department.
It’s interesting that Mendes would even take the bait and engage McGregor at all, considering he has a UFC title fight scheduled with Jose Aldo on Saturday night. Aldo has been fairly consistent in evading most McGregor questions leading up to his seventh consecutive UFC title defense.
McGregor, who defeated featherweight contender Dustin Poirier a few weeks ago, hasn’t shied away from calling out the entire 145-pound division. He also vowed to be in Brazil on Saturday at UFC 179 to watch what he’s deemed the “No. 1 contender” fight between Aldo and Mendes.
Love him or hate him, McGregor has brought desperate needed attention to a division starving for pay-per-view stars.
During McGregor’s post-fight interview at UFC 178, commentator Joe Rogan informed him that 10 percent of all the tickets sold for the event came from Ireland. When speaking on Fox Sports 1’s post-UFC 178 show (h/t MMAJunkie.com), UFC president Dana White boldly proclaimed McGregor as a bigger star than both Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar.
A first-round TKO over a talented fighter like Poirierisn’t anything to take lightly, but the gap in talent widens significantly the closer McGregor gets to the top.
Is McGregor destined to wear UFC gold, or is he merely money in the bank account of a top contender?
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes are set for a Saturday night rematch for the featherweight title at UFC 179. It will be the main event of a card welcoming back the UFC with a bang.