UFC 136 Results: Will Chad Mendes Be the Man to Beat Jose Aldo?

Just hours before UFC 136 was underway, the undefeated Chad "Money" Mendes predicted that featherweight champion Jose Aldo would "destroy" Kenny Florian. 

Mendes also made sure to mention that he wants Aldo next.  

"Scarface" has won 13 fights in a row, and outside of losing the fifth round to Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Aldo has thoroughly dominated his opponents in that span. 

Many believe that Aldo has cleared out the featherweight division already, so a win over Mendes would basically solidify that. 

However, Mendes, a former two-time Division I All-American wrestler, would have a noted advantage over Aldo in that department.  

While Aldo is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, it has been quite a while since the Black House fighter has had to work off his back for extended periods of time in the cage.  

Mendes's superior takedowns and top control would make effective sweeps and submissions a necessity for Aldo, which could be difficult considering Mendes would have a noted strength advantage.  

Granted, Mendes's striking has no chance against one of the most dangerous Muay Thai strikers in the sport in Aldo, but Mendes has shown to be a smart tactician in the cage and would not look to keep the fight standing for very long.  

At the end of the day, five rounds is a long time to hold a fighter the caliber of Jose Aldo down, so it's tough to confidently pick Mendes in this fight, likely to take place in early 2012.  

The good news is, if Mendes can't get it done, there is a good chance the fans will get treated to a superfight between Aldo and current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar sooner than later.