Jose Aldo defeats Chad Mendes by knockout
The red-and-black fighter retained his UFC belt by landing a well-placed knee on his opponent.
By Official Website Team - in
Flamengo fighter José Aldo impressively knocked out American Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro in the early hours of Sunday (January 15.01), retaining his featherweight title. The champion landed a powerful knee on his opponent with just one second remaining in the first round, sending the crowd at Arena da Barra into a frenzy. Immediately after the victory, he ran out of the arena.
As usual, José Aldo displayed a Flamengo flag. However, the athlete apologized for not remembering to put on the sacred robe after the fight.
"So much was happening at that moment that I couldn't even remember anything else. I had so much to do there, but it was so emotional. Next time we'll go in with everything right, with the shield and everything," said the red-and-black fighter, thanking the fans for their support, who didn't stop singing for a minute.
"Thank you all. Today I came with the spirit of giving you the victory. It's always a pleasure to defend the belt. This is my home, it's where I feel very good. What I experienced today was incredibly emotional. From the moment I walked in, the whole crowd cheered me on, with a lot of positive energy. You could hear them chanting 'Go for it, Aldo,'" said the champion, who hopes to help in the fight against violence in sports, especially football.
"There's a different culture in our sport. If you think about it, I've fought almost all over the world and never had a rivalry. It's different from football. Our culture exudes positive energy, and we'll definitely change the mindset of those fans who go to the stadium thinking about causing trouble. The club's initiatives to support athletes also have this. This morning, the Vasco fans were also with me. I support the clubs' initiatives to support athletes. We're in this together. Anderson is at Corinthians, where they're setting up a gym for him. I hope they can do this for me at Flamengo, to set up social work there and change this mentality," he concluded.
As usual, José Aldo displayed a Flamengo flag. However, the athlete apologized for not remembering to put on the sacred robe after the fight.
"So much was happening at that moment that I couldn't even remember anything else. I had so much to do there, but it was so emotional. Next time we'll go in with everything right, with the shield and everything," said the red-and-black fighter, thanking the fans for their support, who didn't stop singing for a minute.
"Thank you all. Today I came with the spirit of giving you the victory. It's always a pleasure to defend the belt. This is my home, it's where I feel very good. What I experienced today was incredibly emotional. From the moment I walked in, the whole crowd cheered me on, with a lot of positive energy. You could hear them chanting 'Go for it, Aldo,'" said the champion, who hopes to help in the fight against violence in sports, especially football.
"There's a different culture in our sport. If you think about it, I've fought almost all over the world and never had a rivalry. It's different from football. Our culture exudes positive energy, and we'll definitely change the mindset of those fans who go to the stadium thinking about causing trouble. The club's initiatives to support athletes also have this. This morning, the Vasco fans were also with me. I support the clubs' initiatives to support athletes. We're in this together. Anderson is at Corinthians, where they're setting up a gym for him. I hope they can do this for me at Flamengo, to set up social work there and change this mentality," he concluded.