UFC News & FeaturesTop 5: UFC Main Events in Rio de Janeiro
Chad
Mendes forced Jose Aldo to
dig a little deeper.
Aldo leaned on accurate, high-velocity punches to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title with a five-round unanimous decision over the American when their rematch headlined UFC 179 on Oct. 25, 2014 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. All three judges turned in 49-46 scorecards. The two men were awarded for their considerable efforts with matching $50,000 bonuses for “Fight of the Night.”
Mendes made the Brazilian work for whatever headway he made. The
Team Alpha Male representative pushed a brutal pace, swarming
Aldo with power punches from the start. Mendes sat down the
Nova Uniao cornerstone with a clean left hook in the first
round, only to later absorb some heavy return fire. Aldo had the
challenger on wobbly legs at the end of the frame, landing a
scorching right hand well after the bell. Mendes recovered between
rounds and continued to apply pressure.
However, Aldo was too quick, too technical and too skilled. Mendes made an impression—he rattled the Andre Pederneiras protégé with an uppercut and left hook in the third round—but the finish he needed never came to fruition. Long criticized for a suspect gas tank, Aldo refused to back down despite suffering substantial damage to his left eye from an accumulation of blows. By the time it was over, he had connected with more than 100 significant strikes and improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with Mendes.
UFC 142 | Jan. 14, 2012
The immovable Aldo kept his stranglehold on the undisputed featherweight championship with a sensational first-round knockout of the Californian in their headliner at the HSBC Arena. The end came 4:59 into Round 1. Aldo broke the Urijah Faber disciple’s belly-to-back clinch against the cage, whirled around to face him and, in one fluid motion, delivered a clean knee strike to the head of the challenger. The blow froze Mendes and sent him crashing to the canvas, where the champion closed the curtain with a right hand. Then, in scene that felt as if it had been stolen from the pages of a movie script, the Aldo exited the cage, ran into the stands and wound up on the shoulders of beaming countrymen, waving a flag, his arms raised in triumph.
UFC 212 | June 3, 2017
Holloway dispatched the Brazilian icon with third-round punches to unify the featherweight championship in their main event at Jeunesse Arena. Aldo bowed out 4:13 into Round 3, losing for just the second time in 21 fights. After a slow start, business picked up. Aldo surprised the Hawaiian with a blinding burst of punches in the first round, punctuating it with a well-timed knee. A more aggressive and focused Holloway emerged in the second, where the tide began to turn. The situation only deteriorated for Aldo from there. Holloway punched in two- and three-punch volleys in the third round, floored the Brazilian with a crisp one-two—a straight right did the damage—and went for the kill. He floated from full mount to the back, all while unleashing destructive ground-and-pound. Holloway took aim at a rear-naked choke at one point before settling in and letting go with unanswered punches on his turtled counterpart, forcing referee John McCarthy to intervene. Aldo protested but had little on which to base his case.
UFC 237 | May 11, 2019
Andrade lived up to her nickname—quite literally—and seized control of the undisputed women’s strawweight title with a destructive slam knockout of “Thug Rose” in the second round of their headliner at Jeunesse Arena. Namajunas packed her bags 2:58 into Round 2. She managed to control the reins across seven-plus minutes of their compelling clash, as she decked Andrade with a knee strike, hammered her with repeated jabs, utilized superior footwork and generally outstruck the Parana Vale Tudo product. Momentum shifted in Round 2 and did so dramatically. Andrade backed the champion to the cage, executed a high-crotch lift—a maneuver she had attempted on two prior occasions—and drove her opponent headfirst into the canvas. The impact flipped the switch on Namajunas and allowed “Bate Estaca” to join the exclusive list of UFC women’s strawweight champions.
UFC 301 | May 4, 2024
Pantoja called upon his all-terrain skills and big-fight experience to retain his flyweight championship with a unanimous decision over a tenacious Australian challenger in their main event at Farmasi Arena. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. Erceg, who entered the Octagon on an 11-fight winning streak, boosted his stock in defeat. He cut Pantoja twice with well-timed elbow strikes, opening lacerations on his scalp and near his right eye. Erceg countered effectively throughout and strung together clean punching combinations against the respected champion, turning their battle into a captivating war of wills. Pantoja pressed the issue by moving forward and targeting the body with punches but made much of his progress in the grappling exchanges. He was credited with nine takedowns and racked up nearly six minutes of control time, working over Erceg in the scrambles. Pantoja put to bed any thought of an upset midway through the fifth round, where he countered a takedown into top position, briefly climbed to full mount and applied his ground-and-pound, letting his star shine when it mattered most.
Aldo leaned on accurate, high-velocity punches to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title with a five-round unanimous decision over the American when their rematch headlined UFC 179 on Oct. 25, 2014 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. All three judges turned in 49-46 scorecards. The two men were awarded for their considerable efforts with matching $50,000 bonuses for “Fight of the Night.”
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However, Aldo was too quick, too technical and too skilled. Mendes made an impression—he rattled the Andre Pederneiras protégé with an uppercut and left hook in the third round—but the finish he needed never came to fruition. Long criticized for a suspect gas tank, Aldo refused to back down despite suffering substantial damage to his left eye from an accumulation of blows. By the time it was over, he had connected with more than 100 significant strikes and improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with Mendes.
With Charles
Oliveira and Mateusz
Gamrot on the
UFC Fight Night 261 marquee this Saturday at Farmasi Arena in
Rio de Janeiro, a look at four other memorable Ultimate Fighting
Championship main events to unfold in Cidade Maravilhosa:
Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
The immovable Aldo kept his stranglehold on the undisputed featherweight championship with a sensational first-round knockout of the Californian in their headliner at the HSBC Arena. The end came 4:59 into Round 1. Aldo broke the Urijah Faber disciple’s belly-to-back clinch against the cage, whirled around to face him and, in one fluid motion, delivered a clean knee strike to the head of the challenger. The blow froze Mendes and sent him crashing to the canvas, where the champion closed the curtain with a right hand. Then, in scene that felt as if it had been stolen from the pages of a movie script, the Aldo exited the cage, ran into the stands and wound up on the shoulders of beaming countrymen, waving a flag, his arms raised in triumph.
Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway
Holloway dispatched the Brazilian icon with third-round punches to unify the featherweight championship in their main event at Jeunesse Arena. Aldo bowed out 4:13 into Round 3, losing for just the second time in 21 fights. After a slow start, business picked up. Aldo surprised the Hawaiian with a blinding burst of punches in the first round, punctuating it with a well-timed knee. A more aggressive and focused Holloway emerged in the second, where the tide began to turn. The situation only deteriorated for Aldo from there. Holloway punched in two- and three-punch volleys in the third round, floored the Brazilian with a crisp one-two—a straight right did the damage—and went for the kill. He floated from full mount to the back, all while unleashing destructive ground-and-pound. Holloway took aim at a rear-naked choke at one point before settling in and letting go with unanswered punches on his turtled counterpart, forcing referee John McCarthy to intervene. Aldo protested but had little on which to base his case.
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
Andrade lived up to her nickname—quite literally—and seized control of the undisputed women’s strawweight title with a destructive slam knockout of “Thug Rose” in the second round of their headliner at Jeunesse Arena. Namajunas packed her bags 2:58 into Round 2. She managed to control the reins across seven-plus minutes of their compelling clash, as she decked Andrade with a knee strike, hammered her with repeated jabs, utilized superior footwork and generally outstruck the Parana Vale Tudo product. Momentum shifted in Round 2 and did so dramatically. Andrade backed the champion to the cage, executed a high-crotch lift—a maneuver she had attempted on two prior occasions—and drove her opponent headfirst into the canvas. The impact flipped the switch on Namajunas and allowed “Bate Estaca” to join the exclusive list of UFC women’s strawweight champions.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg
Pantoja called upon his all-terrain skills and big-fight experience to retain his flyweight championship with a unanimous decision over a tenacious Australian challenger in their main event at Farmasi Arena. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. Erceg, who entered the Octagon on an 11-fight winning streak, boosted his stock in defeat. He cut Pantoja twice with well-timed elbow strikes, opening lacerations on his scalp and near his right eye. Erceg countered effectively throughout and strung together clean punching combinations against the respected champion, turning their battle into a captivating war of wills. Pantoja pressed the issue by moving forward and targeting the body with punches but made much of his progress in the grappling exchanges. He was credited with nine takedowns and racked up nearly six minutes of control time, working over Erceg in the scrambles. Pantoja put to bed any thought of an upset midway through the fifth round, where he countered a takedown into top position, briefly climbed to full mount and applied his ground-and-pound, letting his star shine when it mattered most.
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