Aldo vs. Mendes: Expect Aggressive Aldo to Prevail over Tentative Mendes

UFC 142 is going to feature plenty of crushing punches and brutal kicks to the face, but we might not be getting that when Jose Aldo fights Chad Mendes.

Aldo will do his best.

He will be entering the fight on a 13-fight win streak which goes all the way back to 2005. At the age of 25, few fighters have the combination of experience and energy of Aldo. If he lands just a handful of uppercuts or jabs, it’s lights out.

Mendes has won all 11 of his bouts, but the 26-year-old rarely goes the distance. His submission specialty is a slap in the face to the sport, and it makes for some boring matches. Mendes prefers to spend the majority of his bouts rolling around on the mat baiting his opponent.

This is a fight, not a wrestling match, and Aldo’s going to remind him as much.

Aldo’s stand-up is one of the best in the world right now, and he has the defensive ability to counter the techniques of Mendes. Few have the quickness that Aldo possesses.

Mendes’ only hope is wearing down Aldo with his grappling moves and hoping he is in better physical shape. I’d assume the Mendes strategy is going to be the play-and-pray technique with vicious leg kicks coming fast and furious in Aldo’s direction.

But as long as Aldo is aware of this and counters with his fists, he’ll be just fine.

In four rounds of an epic battle between fighter and wrestler, advantage fighter.

Prediction

Aldo wins in fourth-round TKO as Mendes’ wrestling technique is rendered useless.