UFC 142 Results: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes Fight Card

From the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, UFC 142 is now underway. Bleacher Report will provide live results below and in-depth recaps of each fight on the following pages of this slideshow.

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes

Aldo defeated Mendes by knockout (knee and punches) at 4:59 of the first round.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson

Belfort defeated Johnson by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:49 of the first round.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

Palhares defeated Massenzio by submission (heel hook) at of the first round.

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Prater defeated Silva by disqualification (punches to back of the head) at 0:29 of the first round.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim

Barboza defeated Etim by knockout (spinning heel kick) 2:02 of the third round.

Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout

Tavares defeated Stout by unanimous decision (no scores given).

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ednaldo Oliveira

Gonzaga defeated Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:22 of the first round.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Alcantara defeated Omigawa by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle

Pyle defeated Funch by technical knockout (knee and punches) at 1:22 of the first round.

Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho

Arantes defeated Carvalho by (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes

Jose Aldo defeated Chad Mendes by knockout (knee and punches) at 4:59 of the first round.

If there was any doubt before UFC 142 that Jose Aldo was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, the Brazilian featherweight silenced those thoughts in spectacular fashion.

After shaking off three takedown attempts from an elite wrestler like Mendes, Aldo blasted his opponent with a knee in the closing second of the first round. With a single second left, Mendes crashed to the canvas and was finished with punches.

Aldo immediately stormed out of the cage and was swarmed by enthusiastic Brazilian fans. Even after being escorted back to the Octagon, Aldo attempted to escape the grasp of security to return to his fans, who had hoisted him on their shoulders.

By handing Mendes his first loss in 12 professional fights, the 25-year-old Aldo has already amounted three UFC title defenses in addition to multiple WEC title defenses.

With no clear title contenders in the featherweight division, a superfight with another UFC champion could be in his future.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson

Vitor Belfort defeated Anthony Johnson by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:49 of the first round.

It's very possible UFC 142 may mark the final time fans see Johnson inside the Octagon. After coming in 11 pounds over the 185-pound limit for his middleweight debut, Johnson was submitted in the opening round of his botu against Belfort.

Johnson started off strong with two takedowns. However, conditioning and quick standups from referee Dan Miragliotta appeared to lead to Johnson's defeat. 

After the second standup, Johnson looked spent and desperately shot in for another takedown. Belfort easily stuffed the takedown and took Johnson's back. From there, Belfort softened Johnson with punches and locked up a rear naked choke.

Belfort has won seven of his past eight fights, with his only loss during that time coming against middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Though a rematch with Silva might be a tough sell, Belfort is well on his way to another shot at the belt.

 

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

Rousimar Palhares defeated Mike Massenzio by submission (heel hook) at of the first round.

Palhares continued his attack on opponents' legs at UFC 142, where he quickly disposed of Mike Massenzio via heel hook.

After Massenzio quickly escaped from an initial takedown, Palhares used a second takedown attempt to set up a heel hook. The tap wrapped up Palhares' sixth victory in his past seven appearances.

Many have been calling for Palhares to be matched up against another top middleweight since his unsatisfying loss to Nate Marquardt, where he was rocked while unnecessarily arguing that Marquardt had greased his legs.

Whether Palhares earned another fight against a contender with this win or not, his leg locks make him a dangerous opponent for any 185-pounder in the world. 

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Carlo Prater defeated Erick Silva by disqualification (punches to back of the head) at 0:29 of the first round.

For the second time in two UFC appearances, Erick Silva finished his opponent within the first minute of the bout, or so it appeared.

After rocking Prater quickly, Silva pounced on Prater for the finish. Unfortunately, referee Mario Yamasaki made a controversial decision that Silva's finishing blows landed to the back of Prater's head. As a result, Prater was named the winner due to disqualification.

The result meant the second loss of Silva's career, while it gave Prater a win in his UFC debut. Whether he was the official winner of loser, it was clear Silva was the better fighter on Saturday night and he remains one of the bright up-and-comers in the welterweight division.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim

Edson Barboza defeated Terry Etim by knockout (spinning heel kick) 2:02 of the third round.

Just when it appeared Barboza was fully prepared to coast his way to a decision victory, he landed what may have been one of the most spectacular knockouts in MMA history with a spinning heel kick.

After a slow start, Barboza came on strong with leg kicks and a spinning back kick to finish the first round. In the opening frame, Barboza outlanded Etim 21 to 10 in total strikes, according to Compustrike.

Barboza continued to find a home for his leg kicks in the second and third rounds. Though he was taken down twice in the second round, Barboza immediately sprung back to his feet on both occasions. Through the second round, Etim had already taken 29 kicks from Barboza, according to Compustrike.

It was in the third round, though, that Barboza had fans on their feet. The incredible knockout Barboza recorded improved his record to 10-0.

With another victory over a fellow up-and-coming lightweight, Barboza may be ready to take on one of the elite 155-pound fighters in the UFC.

Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout

Thiago Tavares defeated Sam Stout by unanimous decision (no scores given).

In front of his fellow Brazilians, Tavares was awarded a decision victory after a very closely contested bout against Stout at UFC 142.

In the opening round, Tavares' takedowns were likely the difference in scoring the frame, as he floored Stout three times. Even when Stout was able to keep it standing in the opening round, Tavares landed some good shots.

The second stanza was much more closely contested, with Stout outlanding Tavares 29 to 17 in total strikes, according to Compustrike. A cut to the head of Stout due to a Tavares kick may have swayed the judges, though.

Stout continued to outland the Brazilian by an even greater margin in the third. According to Compustrike, Stout landed 28 total strikes in the final frame, compared to 14 for Tavares.

Unfortunately for Stout, fights are not judges purely on statistics. In the judges' eyes, Tavares did enough to walk away with his second straight victory and will take another step toward the top of the lightweight division.

 

 

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ednaldo Oliveira

Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Ednaldo Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:22 of the first round.

More than one year after being released from the UFC and considered retirement from MMA, Gonzaga made a triumphant return to the Octagon.

When Rob Broughton was forced off of the UFC 142 card, Gonzaga was tapped as a replacement. The fighter most known for his brutal knockout of Mirko Filipovic made the most of the opportunity by taking Oliveira to the ground, where "Napao" was clearly at a major advantage.

Oliveira brought a significant reach advantage into the bout, but once Gonzaga eliminated that advantage with a takedown, it was obvious who the better fighter was. By locking up a rear naked choke, Gonzaga handed Oliveira the first loss of his MMA career and assured himself another Octagon appearance. 

"Thank you for letting me come back," Gonzaga said. "I was out of focus my last fight in the UFC."

Gonzaga may never return to his past role as a title contender, but he is an interesting addition to a division that could use some depth.

 

 

Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Yuri Alcantara defeated Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

With a victory over grizzled veteran Omigawa, Alcantara made a big statement at UFC 142 in his home country of Brazil.

Immediately after the opening bell, Alcantara landed a knee to body that appeared to stun Omigawa. A spinning elbow later in the round allowed Alcantara to take a rocked Omigawa's back, but the Japanese fighter was able to recover and reverse Alcantara to survive the round.

Alcantara's success continued in the second round, when he dropped Omigawa with a right hand. Omigawa, who hasn't been stopped since back-to-back losses in 2005, proved difficult for Alcantara to put away, though. 

After Omigawa survived the second frame, Alcantara seemed spent and was forced to coast through the third round. Alcantara's conditioning cost him the final round on one judges' scorecard, but it didn't make a difference in the fight's otucome, as the Brazilian picked up his 13th consecutive victory.

It is difficult to say what the future will hold for the 36-year-old Omigawa. The UFC will most likely give him another fight if he wants one, but retirement has be weighing on the mind of the talented judoka. 

 

Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle

Mike Pyle defeated Ricardo Funch by technical knockout (knee and punches) at 1:22 of the first round.

The jubilation of the UFC 142 crowd that resulted from Felipe Arantes' win didn't last long, as Pyle quickly disposed of Brazilian-born Funch via technical knockout.

In the opening moments of the bout, Funch appeared to have made significant improvements since his last UFC appearance. However, a straight right and big knee from Pyle quickly had Funch forgetting any early success he may have had.

The knockout win was a nice way for Pyle to get back on track after having a three-fight winning streak ended by Rory MacDonald in his previous appearance. By quickly finishing Funch, Pyle sent a reminder of why some consider him a top 15 welterweight in the UFC.

"I think that's probably my best finish I've had in the UFC," Pyle said after the fight.

For Funch, who was only recently released after an 0-2 UFC stint, the defeat may lead to another run outside of the world's premier MMA organization.

Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho

Felipe Arantes defeated Antonio Carvalho by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Fighting in his home country of Brazil, Arantes was able to get the UFC 142 crowd going early with a hard-fought victory in the event's opening bout.

In the early going, Arantes was put in some bad positions by Carvalho. After taking the Brazilian down in the opening frame, Carvalho took Arantes' back and gained full mount.

Carvalho wasn't able to take advantage of the position, though, as Arantes was able to escape and do some damage on his feet. From that point forward, Arantes fed off the crowd's energy and took control of the fight.

In the second and third rounds, Arantes looked much more fluid than his opponent in the striking department. On his feet, Carvalho looked robotic and lacked head movement. After failing to take Arantes to the ground over the next round and a half, Carvalho was forced to pull guard midway through the third round, but he wasn't able to execute any sweeps or submissions from the bottom position.

Having defeated the likes of Hatsu Hioki, Carvalho was the favorite coming into the fight, but Arantes was able to take advantage of what may have been some first-time Octagon jitters for his opponent. The win was Arantes' first of his UFC career, as he suffered a defeat at the hands of Yuri Alcantara in his debut for the organization.