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#2 Jose Aldo against Chad Mendes
Ultimate Fighting Championship 142 saw two of the most prolific featherweights in the division go one-on-one in the quest for championship gold. Aldo, in his home country of Brazil, defended his UFC Featherweight title against Chad Mendes in a high-octane duel.
The match-up between the two was initially supposed to be held six months earlier, but Aldo’s injuries kept him away from competition and it finally saw the light of the day on January 14, 2012. The highly anticipated match-up began with both men sizing each other from a distance. Both were equally quick on their feet, leaving little room for error for the other to capitalize on.
Mendes tried taking Aldo down on numerous occasions (3 to be exact), but his efforts were casually fended off by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu proponent. Towards the end of the first round, Mendes caught the champion in a clinch from behind but his subsequent attempts at a takedown were again negated by the Brazilian.
The challenger began attacking Jose’s thighs, but the champ managed to break the hold, twisting and unleashing a fierce knee to the face of Chad Mendes. Aldo retained the championship by knocking Mendes out with just one second to go in the first round!
