UFC 142: Chad Mendes Will Wrestle Title Away from Jose Aldo

The only way to fight Jose Aldo's fire is to smother it on the mat. 

UFC 142 brings a great matchup that poses an intriguing question. Can one of the best strikers in the class be beaten by a pure wrestler?

Chad Mendes, a Cal Poly wrestler, will take on the UFC Featherweight champion who's is going on 13 straight wins. 

If you're Chad Mendes, you're hoping for a long fight that lands on the mat and gets settled there. If it's done in a flash, you can bet that Mendes met his fate from a quick strike that came far too quickly to defend. 

Not many are giving Mendes a chance as he goes up against a great striker, but that isn't giving Mendes a fair shot when you consider that he has talents outside of wrestling. 

His two UFC fights have gone the distance where Mendes won by unanimous decision. What we have found is that he does have talents, while rough, as a boxer. 

Mendes is good with his hands. He isn't a world-class boxer by any means, but he knows how to create some distance with well-placed strikes and incessant jabs. 

This isn't going to be a fight ending in under a minute with Aldo reigning down thunder right from the star. The champ will be hesitant to mix it up. 

Now make note that Aldo will not be scared so much that he doesn't want to take Mendes, and his punches for granted. Mendes underrated ability on his feet is all he needs to make sure that the fight gets to his comfort zone on the mat. 

When that happens, the fight becomes Mendes' to control. This is not a cakewalk for Aldo, rather a perfect chance for an upset for Mendes. 

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