Everyone knew Jose Aldo was a bad man.
On Saturday, he just confirmed it once again.
The UFC Featherweight Champion and top 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world put another highlight reel KO on his resume at UFC 142, finishing Chad Mendes with 1 second left in the first round thanks to a knee to the head.
Aldo (21-1) had control of the fight from the start, as he landed a number of leg kicks that seemed to bother Mendes. The contender attempted a number of takedowns, but Aldo managed to escape them all. As the opening round winded down, Aldo landed a big knee during the exchange and followed up with two big right hands on the ground that put Mendes out cold.
Following the win, the champion sprinted into the raucous Brazilian crowd, nearly causing a riot. But, disaster was averted.
Now, the big question for Aldo is what is next, as he has wiped out the 145-pound division and left no legit contenders.
In the co-main event, another local hero, Vitor Belfort, scored a first round win over Anthony Johnson by rear-naked choke.
Johnson came in 12 pounds overweight on Friday, but it didn’t seem to hurt Belfort and only left Johnson fatigued late in the first round.
With Johnson worn down, Belfort found his striking range and sent Johnson to the ground before taking his back and securing a choke late in the opening round.
The other highlight of the night had Edson Barboza putting his stamp on the lightweight division by delivering a wheel kick KO against Terry Etim.
The two had a very competitive first two rounds, but with two minute to go in the final round, Barboza unleashed a picture-perfect wheel kick that knocked Etim out cold on contact.
Barboza has now thrust himself into the top 10 of the division and looks to be a real threat in the 155-pound weight class.
For full results for UFC 142, check out the jump.
UFC 142 Results (Via MMAMania.com)
HSBC Arena – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via knockout at 4:59 of round one
Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:49 of round one
Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook) at 1:02 of round one
Carlo Prater def. Erick Silva via disqualification
Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via knockout at 2:02 of round three
Thiago Tavares def Sam Stout via unanimous decision
Gabriel Gonzaga def Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:22 of round one
Yuri Alcantara def Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Mike Pyle def Ricardo Funch via TKO (strikes) at 1:22 of round one
Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision
