Jose Aldo (21-1) vs. Chad Mendes (11-0)
The UFC featherweight champion carries a
13-fight winning streak into his Brazilian homecoming against the unbeaten
American wrestler Mendes.
Aldo, 25, a product of Nova Uniao, has
dominated the featherweight ranks since his North American debut at WEC 34,
stopping the likes of Cub Swanson, Mike Brown and Manny Gamburyan in emphatic
fashion, while earning hard-fought decisions over Urijah Faber, Mark Hominick
and Kenny Florian. His only career setback was a November 2005 submission loss
to Luciano Azevedo, a natural lightweight.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and muay
thai wrecking machine, Aldo has shown few weaknesses during his WEC and
subsequent UFC stint, but he's never faced a wrestler the caliber of Mendes.
Aldo's conditioning was a major question mark
in his fight with Hominick. After dominating the Canadian kickboxer with his
striking arsenal for four rounds, Aldo's gas tank ran out. The Sao Paulo native
was taken down and pummelled for the remaining five minutes, but it was too
little too late for the challenger and Aldo retained his belt via unanimous
decision.
His most recent bout with Florian was a
highly competitive affair. Aldo broke the former lightweight title challenger
down with strikes and exhibited solid takedown defense, but Florian's wrestling
credentials are nowhere near the level of what Mendes brings to the table.
Mendes, 26, a member of Team Alpha Male
alongside Faber and top flyweight prospect Joseph Benavidez, has recorded
one-sided decision wins over the likes of Erik Koch, Cub Swanson, Javier
Vazquez, Michihiro Omigawa and Rani Yahya.
Verdict: Aldo via KO, Round 3
A former NCAA Division I wrestler, Mendes
possesses some of the most explosive takedowns in the division. The 2008 Pac-10
wrestler of the year continues to develop his hands, but he's most dangerous
when he's hammering away with ground-and-pound on the mat.
In order to prepare for Mendes' greatest
offensive weapon, Aldo enlisted the help of recent UFC title challenger Gray
Maynard, a former NCAA Division I wrestler himself. Maynard has had high praise
for Aldo's grappling skills and ability to stuff shots, which could spell
trouble for the aspiring American contender.
Typical of Team Alpha Male fighters, Mendes
is a cardio machine who has yet to show any signs of fading in the Octagon. But
Mendes has had the benefit of fighting opponents armed with strong grappling
bases as opposed to acclaimed strikers. Aldo is by far the best striker he has
encountered and arguably the most dynamic hitter in the sport.
Aldo's brutal leg kicks annihilated Faber,
who is Mendes' teammate and a stellar wrestler himself. If Aldo's conditioning
is up to par, he should be able to effectively pick his shots and anticipate
Mendes' takedown attempts.
Furthermore, Aldo's submission prowess
remains one of his secret weapons. The Brazilian's training partners rave about
his ground game, though he's content to smash most adversaries standing. If
Mendes puts him on his back, he's still highly dangerous.
Aldo will look to prove his worth as a
top-ranked, pound-for-pound mixed martial artist as he will patiently await his
opportunity to explode before unleashing a thunderous fury of strikes to lay
Mendes out, putting the first loss on his unblemished record.
Verdict: Aldo via KO, Round 3
No comments:
Post a Comment