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.