Tag: UFC 179

The featherweight title rematch that so many were clamoring for is coming to fruition at UFC 179, with Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes facing off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to headline an exciting main card.

The goodness will start early with five main-card bouts, and a battle between Glover Teixeira and Phil Davis should whet folks’ MMA appetites for the main event. And boy, will those appetites need whetting.

In the first fight between Aldo and Mendes back in 2012, it looked as back-and-forth as it could be before Aldo broke free from a Mendes takedown attempt and landed a crushing knee to knock him out one second before the end of Round 1.

Mendes is fired up about his chance at redemption.

“It’s not just about the title,” Mendes told Mirror‘s Alex Watt. “It’s about redemption and payback and about bringing another belt back to Sacramento where it belongs. This fight, I’ve replayed it over and over in my head and, obviously, in a perfect world, I’d get in there and knock him out, but I’m expecting a war.”

The top two featherweight fighters, as ranked by UFC, should put on a battle on Saturday night. Let’s make some early predictions as to how the fight will unfold.

 

Predictions

2012 Fight Will Be Exposed As a Fluke

Let’s get this straight—Aldo’s victory in 2012 over Mendes was definitely not a misleading result. The way in which it ended, however, was.

For four-plus minutes of the opening round in their first matchup, Mendes wasn’t backing down. He furiously attempted to land his masterful takedown move, only for Aldo to surprisingly slip out and land a surprise knee that ended the fight.

In one more second, Mendes would’ve headed to his corner and gotten another five minutes to do what he does best—take his opponent to the canvas and keep him there.

Mendes’ takedown prowess hasn’t changed since 2012, but his ability to stand and strike has improved drastically following wins over Nik Lentz and Clay Guida. He put himself in a great position early in their first fight before letting his guard down for a quick moment, and he won’t let that happen again.

 

Mendes Will Hush Brazil Crowd with Strong Start 

As if taking the featherweight title belt from its only owner isn’t a tall enough task, Mendes will try to knock off Aldo in his native Brazil once again.

That, along with the realization that he got knocked out in Round 1 last time, is all the more reason for Mendes to try desperately to sway the momentum early.

Mendes has been building himself up for this chance at redemption for nearly two years, and he’s ready to take advantage, per UFC:

Mendes also explained how he could alter the crowd’s impact Saturday night.

“The crowd swaying judges is huge,” Mendes told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “Obviously, in a fight like this, if it goes the distance, any time I hit him, the crowd is silent. Any time he hits me, there’s an uproar. Of course, that’s going to weigh on judges, but it’s not something new. I just have to brush it off and do what I’ve got to do.”

Losing to a fighter twice isn’t an ideal way to climb to the top of the sport, and that’s certainly where Mendes looks set on getting to. Even getting a rematch in a title fight is easier said than done, and Mendes won’t be banking on giving up that chance without a considerable effort.

It took potentially illegal antics on the fence for Aldo to avoid a Round 1 takedown back in 2012, and Mendes should get him to the canvas a few times early to take the momentum.

 

Resilient Aldo Will Settle in, Defend Title with Late-Round KO

Mendes will enter Saturday’s fight with more than enough in his arsenal to pull off the upset, but even his best won’t eliminate the gap in tactical skill between these two.

Mendes has made serious improvements to his striking game. But all of those improvements matter little when going up against Aldo—especially in Aldo’s backyard. Not only is he a much superior striker, but his takedown defense is the best at featherweight.

Aldo is keeping his sights set on another early knockout, but he isn’t putting the entire fight out of focus.

“If I see the opportunity to finish the fight again, I will,” Aldo told MMAJunkie.com’s Steven Marrocco. “It doesn’t matter that I’ve knocked him out before. That’s my mindset. But if not, I can fight five rounds. It’s not a problem.”

Aldo will prove a bit too ambitious early, as Mendes should execute his game plan in the first few rounds. But with such a magnificent takedown defense, Aldo will stay on his feet late and wear down Mendes with brutal hooks and effective jabs.

And when the opportunity comes late for Aldo to finish off his opponent, he will do just that.

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At UFC 179, Jose Aldo will attempt to keep his reign over the 145-pound division going in a rematch with Chad Mendes.

Since being named the UFC featherweight titleholder after two title defenses under the WEC banner, Aldo has retained his belt six times inside the Octagon.

Of the six UFC opponents Aldo has faced, Mendes may have been the farthest from dethroning the Brazilian. However, Mendes has earned a second crack at Aldo and is widely considered to be the biggest threat to the champion’s crown.

Mendes has gone 5-0 since his loss to Aldo, scoring four knockouts along the way. With three consecutive wins over Top 15 featherweights, Mendes has done about all he could to prove he’s at least the second best 145-pounder in the world.

With this featherweight championship bout quickly approaching, here is a look at the keys to victory for both fighters.

 

Jose Aldo: Stay on the Outside and Prevent Mendes from Completing Takedowns

In his initial clash with Mendes, Aldo did outstanding work in defending takedowns.

Despite attempting seven inside five minutes, Mendes was unable to take Aldo down.

There was an instance where Aldo deliberately grabbed the cage to prevent a takedown. However, prior to that rule violation, he stuffed several attempts in the center of the Octagon.

It wasn’t until after Aldo fended off a later takedown attempt that he landed the knee that ended the bout.

While the Brazilian proved he can shut down Mendes‘ wrestling, it would still be in his best interest to keep his distance on Saturday.

Having a significant reach advantage, Aldo doesn’t need to go out of his way to finish Mendes again. He can nip and tuck his way to a decision victory while wearing Mendes down with his devastating leg kicks.

On the attempt where Mendes was closest to completing a takedown on Aldo, the champion sprung back to his feet as soon as he hit the canvas, preventing Mendes from securing the position.

A high-level wrestler, Mendes is capable of shutting Aldo down for an entire round should he settle in on top.

 

Chad Mendes: Control the Center and Don’t Attempt Takedowns in the Open

Mendes‘ game plan obviously has to involve getting Aldo to the ground.

The champion is one of the most talented strikers in MMA history, and while Mendes has shown improvement in his stand-up over recent appearances, he’s still likely multiple steps below Aldo in that realm.

Rather than allowing Aldo to set the pace, Mendes needs to pressure the titleholder, which few challengers have been able to do.

If he fails to do so, Mendes will be forced to attempt takedowns in open space, as he did in the first meeting. Aldo is too quick and slippery to take down when he has room to work with.

In order to be successful, Mendes will need to corner Aldo and score takedowns on the perimeter.

Yes, he might have to deal with Aldo grabbing the fence and will need to hope the referee handles that, but Mendes came much closer to completing a takedown against the cage than he did on his multiple attempts out in the center in their last fight. 

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