5 Things Jose Aldo Did Right to Beat Chad Mendes at UFC 142

On Saturday night, Jose Aldo defended his featherweight title at home in Brazil against  undefeated wrestler Chad "Money" Mendes.

Although it was just a one-round fight, ending via KO at 4:59, Aldo did several things right to earn the victory.

Many thought that this could be the fight in which Aldo finally falls, and Mendes would be the one to dethrone him, but that was not to be.

Aldo knocked out his opponent for the first time since joining the UFC, and in the process reminded everyone that he is one of the best fighters on the planet.

Here are five things Aldo did right on Saturday night.

Have a Good Weight Cut

At the weigh-ins, Jose Aldo looked energetic and pumped up.

He did not look as though he spent hours dreadfully cutting weight.

There was a highly publicized video prior to his fight against Mark Hominick of a drained Aldo attempting to cut the final pounds to make the weight limit.

However, it seems like that's a thing of the past, as he had his explosiveness once again.

Have a Good Mindset

As Aldo walked out to the Octagon, you could see that he was a man on a mission.

He was going out there to put on a show for the Brazilian fans and keep that belt in Brazil. He had the right mindset going into the fight, and that was huge.

Outbox Chad Mendes

To start off the fight, Aldo was able to outbox Mendes, which was good for Aldo, as it caused Mendes to shoot for a takedown early.

Then Aldo did something else right.

Stuff the Takedown

Aldo was able to stuff all but one takedown from Mendes.

As Mendes is one of the best, if not the best, wrestler in the featherweight division, the ease with which Aldo could brush off his takedowns was shocking.

Then, even when Mendes scored a takedown, Aldo got right back up to his feet and was able to separate the hands of Mendes, which lead to...

The Knee

With just a split-second opening, and seconds before the round was going to end, Jose Aldo threw a beautiful knee that dropped Mendes to the canvas.

Aldo followed it up with some fast ground-and-pound, and just as the bell rang to end the round, the fight was over.

Aldo capitalized on the smallest of windows, and it earned him the win.

He took off into the crowd and was hoisted onto their shoulders. It was a crazy night for Jose Aldo Jr.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @TimMcTiernan.