UFC 142 Recap: Jose Aldo and Vitor Belfort dominate in Brazil
Posted on January 15, 2012, 01:56 AM by Trent ReinsmithIt seemed that many fight fans were not anticipating UFC 142 as eagerly as some of the more recent UFC fight cards and for those that slept on this card, I can only offer my condolences, because you really missed out.
Any questions that may have lingered about Jose Aldo’s ability to withstand a wrestling based attack were answered early on in the main event as he stuffed each of Chad Mendes’ seven takedown attempts before putting him out with a well placed knee.
The knockout came with exactly one second remaining in the first round and after he finished Mendes, Aldo ran from the cage and into arms of the crowd, where he was lifted onto the shoulders of the Brazilian fans, it was truly something to behold. With the help of security Aldo eventually made it back to the Octagon.
Question after seeing Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes:
-Who can stop Jose Aldo? I know this question has been asked of many champions in the past, but honestly a quick glance through the featherweight rankings says that, unless someone moves down from lightweight, Aldo’s reign could be a fairly long one.
Notes and more questions following UFC 142:
-Is there a more passionate MMA fan base than Brazil? After seeing the crowd reaction at the last two UFC Brazil events I would have to say the Brazilians have surely passed the Canadian fans by as far as their passion goes. If the UFC does decide to have an event in a soccer stadium in Brazil, the energy level will be incredible.
-What kind of upside does Rousimar Palhares have? With a massive amount of power and devastating heel hooks, Palhares is one of those fighters that is so good at one thing that he could have a huge upside just using that one technique.
-Was Erick Silva robbed? Many fans and pundits are saying that Erick Silva was robbed of a first round knockout by referee Mario Yamasaki who disqualified Silva for illegal blows to the head. In fact, Joe Rogan called Yamasaki out right in the center of the Octagon, forcing him to watch the replay in slow motion, where it seems as if his confidence in his call wavered a bit. UFC President Dana White also offered his take on the disqualification via twitter, “BS call for Erick Silva.”
-Did the knockout by Edson Barboza lock up knockout of the year? The spinning wheel kick that Edson Barboza delivered to the chin of Terry Etim was a thing of brutal beauty, knocking Etim stiff almost instantly. Anyone hoping to top that knockout will have to deliver something very special.
LowKick.com UFC 142 main card awards:
-Fight of the night: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim. Terry Etim did his best to take Barboza to the ground, but there was no way that Barboza was going to all Etim to gain a takedown. Every time Etim looked like he had a takedown Barboza would work his way back to his feet and outstrike Etim before ending the fight in spectacular manner.
-Performance of the night: Vitor Belfort. This may be a controversial choice, but hear me out. Belfort could have been shaken up by the fact that his opponent came in at 197 pounds for a 185 pound fight, but he wasn’t. He moved past it, focused on getting the win and earned the victory as well as 20 percent of Anthony Johnson’s purse. Belfort was a true professional through all of the drama of this weekend.
-Finish of the night: Edson Barboza. If you missed the spinning wheel kick that Barboza used to end his fight against Terry Etim, you need to do whatever you can to track a video of that down and revel in it’s sheer power.
Further Reading: UFC 142 Wrap-Up: Barboza gets $130k, Palhares & Etim take home $65k
Photo: Tracy Lee for CombatLifestyle.com
Comments
Hope Terry Etim is ok, that kick was something else.
i cannot believe joe rogan called out the ref like that. that was disgraceful behaviour. so cringe worthy, made worse by the fact that the ref was actually right.
and Joe, soccer has absolutely nothing to do with having stronger leg kicks you muppet!
I think the ref got it wrong thats not how a fight is stopped by illegal strikes, a point is supposed to be deducted, then a doctor is to check on the fighter to determine if they can continue. The ref called the fight off with 1 second in the round, then DQ'd Silva. I do agree that Rogan shouldnt have done that to the ref though.
even the ref saw he was wrong, that's what was cringeworthy,
he was like 'i made a judgement call and theres nothing i can do now' /walkawaywithsadface
so happy for vitor!!! hope he can fight chael next!!!!
sry for all the wrestling fans ;) ...."put your money on mendes" ...lol
Barboza vs Aldo...
Aldo vs Hioki (if he beats Bart, otherwise Erik Koch or LW)
Mendes vs Diego Nunes
Belfort vs winner Bisping/Maia
Palhares vs Alan Belcher
E. Silva vs Dan Hardy
Barboza vs G. Tibau
Etim vs Yves Edwards
Sam Stout vs Danny Castillo
Thiago Tavares vs Tony Ferguson
Gonzaga vs Mitrione
Maldonado vs Oliveira
Alcantara vs Mike Brown
Johnson was fighting Belfort AND the ref. Every time Johnson took Belfort down they were stood up way too fast. he was working and doing damage but massive advantage to Belfort with ref on his side. Disgusting this can happen these days. But good stoppage by Belfort, wasn't his fault the ref helped him and he still has good power in his hands. he softened up Johnson with short shots which hurt him quite a bit.
PS: I'd think twice about fighting a Brazilian in Brazil for the UFC with shit like that going down. That said, I doubt there'll be much sympathy for a guy who comes in nearly a stone over weight.
Agree, I'm from Brazil and didn't like the referee during Vitor fight.... our fighters don't need this kind of help, neither the sport
@azzkika I have to agree. Seems like something very unethical transpired in the co-main event. It would be one thing if that was just Miragliotta's style of reffing, but let's not forget that this is the same official that allowed Koscheck to remain inactive inside of Paul Daley's guard for 15 mins.
@fllc I've heard other Belfort fans say the same thing... That they would have preferred to see Vitor persevere on his own and come back to win in spectacular fashion.
Now THAT is the Aldo we all know and love.....
I have watched a lot of MMA but that was the most amazing, best and cleanest KO frm a kick I have ever seen, in my opinion it is better than Anderon's and Lyoto's.
great night of fights. i really dont see anyone at FW beating aldo i think he should move up to LW tons of great match up there....hes got a really good chance of becoming the #1 p4p king right now and hes only 25
These Brazilians are a bit over the top. They act like its the phucking Olympics or something. But I guess for a country like Brasil to achieve some recognition for something is pretty normal.
mma will be bigger than the olympics...
:) :)
thanks mazagati for ****ing up my picks
Joe Rogan doesnt give a ****, he was high on DMT!!!