UFC 142: Jose Aldo Was Too Much, Too Soon for Chad Mendes

With his knockout of Chad Mendes last night at UFC 142, Jose Aldo has now defended his featherweight crown five times during his title reign. That reign now spans two years and two promotions.

Aldo hasn't lost in more than six years. And seeing as how Mendes was the consensus top contender, it's entirely possible he has officially removed the intrigue from the 145-pound division.

It's easy to forget sometimes that the guy is still just 25 years old. 

Because Aldo has accomplished all of these things and is only now of age to rent a car, it's a little funny to say that another fighter was a little too green to face him. But that's just where we find ourselves now when discussing Mendes.

The fact is, the young Aldo was too much, too soon for Mendes. It's as simple as that. And it's possible Mendes will never be the same.

Mendes (11-1) was fighting in only his 12th pro contest. And at 26, he's still a young man in the sport, just as Aldo is. The difference is that Aldo has 22 fights under his belt, and Mendes is not one of the best in the world.

But the champion in his division is. It must be devastating for a 26-year-old's confidence to, in his first taste of defeat, have an opponent soundly beet him at his own game. In brushing off takedown after takedown (and I don't want to hear any of this fence-grabbing nonsense—that only happened once), Aldo took Mendes' bread and butter and shoved it back in his face.

Mendes may now face the same problem guys like Rich Franklin and Kenny Florian have faced before—an inability to endanger the champ, and an uncertainty on where his career goes from here.

But those guys faced the champ later on in their careers. Mendes is 26. What does he do now?

It's not the end of the world, of course. Mendes is a very good fighter. He'll win again, and he'll be back. When all is said and done, he'll have a good career.

But at the end of the day, a black cloud named Jose Aldo will always hang low over his head. All roads will inevitably lead back to the man who just dominated him and gave no sign that a second engagement would be any different. That's a lot to deal with at such an early stage of your career.

Mendes badly wanted this title shot. But with the perfect clarity of hindsight, it seems Mendes should have been more careful about what he wished for. Because he got it.

Now it's hard to tell what the young man's backup plan will be, beyond beating lesser opponents and hoping someone else can unseat the boss.