UFC 142: Home-Soil Advantage Will Spur Jose Aldo to Victory Over Chad Mendes

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes are set to meet Saturday in the main event of UFC 142. The fighters sport a combined 32-1 career record, so it may seem tough to pick a winner, but I believe fighting in his home country gives Aldo the advantage.

The card will take place at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, so Mendes will essentially enter the fight as the villain seeing as he is from the United States. There have been times where fighting in front of the home crowd has been a hindrance for some competitors, but Aldo seems to have the demeanor needed to handle it.

Aldo is a fighter of the highest caliber as he sports a 20-1 career record, is the No. 1 ranked featherweight in the world and was named the fighter of the year in 2009. At the same time, Mendes is a rising star who has yet to lose a fight in his young UFC career, but Aldo has much more big-fight experience despite being a year younger at 25.

I think that Aldo's experience under pressure will go a very long way in this fight. This is by far the biggest stage Mendes has ever performed on as a UFC competitor. Aldo is fairly new to UFC in his own right since he previously fought in WEC, but he had some high-profile bouts there as well, particularly a win over Urijah Faber.

The key for Aldo in this match will be staying upright. Mendes is a decorated amateur wrestler, so he is at his best when he can keep his opponent grounded. Aldo tends to win most of his fights by knockout or by going the distance, and that will be his best bet in this fight as well.

Aldo is listed as Sherdog's No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world currently, so there is a lot riding on this fight for him. Not only does he obviously want to retain his title and win in front of his supporters, but if he continues to dominate he may soon find himself in position to be the best overall fighter in UFC.

Mendes has tons of ability and it's possible that he could beat Aldo if he gets him into an uncomfortable situation, but Aldo is a very savvy fighter who usually can keep the fight on his terms. If he continues that trend against Mendes and feeds off the crowd support, then he will come out on top once again.