Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes Rematch Set for Brazil

Chad Mendes hopes the second time will be the charm when he travels to enemy territory once again to take on UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo.

UFC President Dana White spilled the beans on the featherweight title scrap on Saturday night during the UFC on Fox 12 post-fight press conference. The rematch between Aldo and Mendes will now take place at UFC 179 on October 25 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“[Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes] is the fight [to headline the Brazil card],” White confirmed. “I’m probably going to get murdered for this. Brazil is going to call up screaming and yelling at me that I blew their big whatever. So there you go. I gave you something tonight before I left.”

Aldo and Mendes were originally slated to headline the UFC 176 pay-per-view card on August 2, but the bout was postponed after Aldo withdrew due to a neck injury. Subsequently, the entire fight card was scrapped after losing the main event bout.

Not only will this be a rematch, but it will also mark the second time Mendes has fought Aldo in Brazil. The reigning UFC champ landed a highlight-reel, first-round knockout over Mendes back in January 2012, becoming the first and only man to hand the Team Alpha Male standout a loss.

Since teaming up with muay thai coach Duane Ludwig, the improvements in Mendes’ striking have been like the difference between day and night. He is currently riding a five-fight win streak, with four of those victories coming by knockout.

Meanwhile, Aldo has continued to cement his legacy as an all-time great and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since defeating Mendes, he has gone on to successfully defend his title against Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas.

The ever-growing beef between Aldo and Mendes should make for a good storyline heading into the event.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Mendes hinted at the idea that Aldo was trying to avoid a fight with him. Aldo quickly responded in an open letter to Brazilian outlet Combate.com (h/t MMAjunkie) by accusing Mendes of being a possible “supplement” abuser.

If all goes according to plan, the talking will finally cease on October 25 when the cage door closes and the top two featherweights in the world battle once more.

Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.