“Aldo (photo) remains UFC featherweight champion. Photo: Disclosure
It was a war. Five rounds of intense combat, with standout moments for both sides in what is a candidate for “Fight of the Year” in 2014. José Aldo derrotou Chad Mendes in the unanimous decision of the judges and retained the Ultimate featherweight belt in the main fight of UFC Rio 5, as UFC 179 became popularly known, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
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The opening minutes of the fight showed that the story would be different compared to the first meeting between the two, in 2012. Mendes seemed more comfortable in his striking and decided to accept the fight on the feet with Aldo, who did not let the North's attempts go easy. American. Mendes even knocked Aldo down in the opening minutes, but the Brazilian quickly recovered. In the final moments of the first period, it was Aldo's turn to take down the American with blows. Chad, on the other hand, tried to survive at all costs. After the bell sounded, Aldo landed a hard illegal blow on Mendes and took down the American, who clearly felt it.
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Still stunned by the Brazilian's blows, Mendes tried to take the fight to the ground at the beginning of the second round, without success. Thus, “Money” began to accept striking again, although the pace decreased considerably compared to the war in the opening round.
In the third round, the fight returned to a breakneck pace. Mendes landed good punches on the Brazilian, which he clearly felt. When he went all out trying to define the fight, Mendes was caught with a powerful counterattack that knocked him down.
Aldo showed greater signs of fatigue in the fourth round, so Mendes began to dictate the pace of the fight, connecting the best blows. One of them, an upper, opened a huge cut on Aldo's left eyebrow, as he tried to react.
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In the final period, Mendes tried to secure the score by taking the fight to the ground from the start. Aldo easily managed to bring the fight back to striking, and the fight ended with both men again landing blows on their feet.
After 25 minutes of intense fighting, the three judges scored 49 to 46 in favor of Aldo – that is, four rounds for the Brazilian against one for the challenger. With this, the Nova União athlete remains the only UFC featherweight champion.
Aldo and Mendes hug after the war in Rio. Photo: Disclosure
After the fight, Aldo paraphrases Romário and provokes McGregor
In the interview given in the octagon immediately after the fight, Aldo made a point of thanking the support of the fans present at the Maracanãzinho gym, which he considers to have been fundamental to his victory. However, what caught the most attention was a provocation made by Conor McGregor, who was present at the scene.
A fanatical Flamengo fan, Aldo quoted one of Romário's most classic phrases, one of the great names to have played for the Gávea club. “The reign is complete. There’s the king, the prince, who is Chad, and the jester”, said the Brazilian.
See the complete results from UFC Rio 5:
MAIN CARD
Feathers: José Aldo derrotou Chad Mendes by unanimous decision;
Light heavyweights: Phil Davis derrotou Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision;
Light heavyweights: Fábio Maldonado defeated Hans Stringer by technical knockout in R2;
Feathers: Darren Elkins defeated lucas mineiro by split decision;
Mild: Beneil Dariush defeated Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision;
PRELIMINARY CARD
Welterweights: Neil Magny derrotou William Patolino by technical knockout in R3;
Mild: Yan Cabral defeated Naoyuki Kotani via submission in R2
Flies: Wilson reis defeated Scott Jorgensen via submission in R1;
Feathers: André Fili derrotou Felipe Sertanejo by unanimous decision
Mild: Gilbert Durinho derrotou Christos Giagos by submission in R1;
Mild: Tony Martin defeated Fabrício Morango via submission in R1
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