Jose Aldo On Fence Grab Against Chad Mendes: It Didn’t Change The Fight

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has drawn a ton of criticism for his recent outings, including his UFC 169 decision victory over Ricardo Lamas and his UFC 163 TKO stoppage of Chan Sung Jung.

While the six-time defending champion won both of those fights without being in any degree of imminent danger, Aldo’s detractors have been quick to say that he simply doesn’t fight like he used to.

Indeed, Aldo stormed onto the MMA scene over five years ago with a relentless Muay Thai game that produced highlight reel finishes left and right. However, fans and media grew accustomed to seeing “Junior” end each of his fights in spectacular fashion, expectations that were eventually impossible to live up to fighting the absolute best featherweights in the world.

Heading into his UFC 176 rematch with Team Alpha Male’s Chad Mendes, Aldo isn’t letting the critics get to him too much. He already knocked out Mendes with a flashy knee with only one second left in the first round of their UFC 142 main event tussle.

Even though it was one of his greatest wins, Aldo is still derided for grabbing the fence while Mendes sought a takedown. The champion recently spoke with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz to discuss both his prior victory and upcoming rematch with Mendes.

“The first fight is in the past. We’re getting ready for a new fight. We will get there well trained to get another win. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m winning in the beginning, middle or the end of the fight. The important thing is keeping the title. That’s what I train for.

I don’t see any problem (with the fence grab). People always find things to say. Every fighter holds the fence once. It happens. I held it once, but he took me down three times and I came right back up. It didn’t change the fight. I don’t care if he’s talking or anyone else is talking. The important thing is that I know what I’m capable of.”

Aldo knows that keeping the belt is what matters most, and many believe that is beginning to clearly show in his fighting style. But with no one able to beat him at his own game, his critics aren’t going to have much to go off of until he loses.

While that’s a clear possibility against Mendes, who has won every one of his bouts since facing Aldo, something tells me that the champ is beyond motivated for this fight. He’s promised “payback” on Team Alpha Male for their mocking of his good friend, former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao, after team member TJ Dillashaw took the belt from him at UFC 173.

Overall it appears that all the criticism may be getting to Aldo a bit. Will that help or hurt him when he climbs into the Octagon to face Mendes for a second time?