Aldo overcame an early knockdown, a bleeding left eye, and constant pressure from the hard-hitting Mendes to win a unanimous decision, with judges scoring the fight 49-46 across the board.
It was Aldo's seventh straight defense of the UFC featherweight belt, and hiked his record to 25-1. He has now won 17 consecutive mixed martial arts fights.
It was also his second victory over Mendes, after having knocked out the challenger in the first round when they first fought at UFC 142 two years ago in Aldo's home turf of Rio de Janeiro.
"I think I deserved to win. He hit me a few times, but I hit him a lot more," Aldo said through an interpreter after the fight.
Mendes landed the first significant punch of the fight, sending Aldo briefly to the canvas with a left hook. But Aldo stole the first round when he landed a huge punch towards the final minute, and tried to finish the bout early through ground and pound.
Mendes survived the onslaught, but Aldo also landed two more punches after the bell that visibly rocked the challenge.
"I knew at some point I will land some good punches, I saw the opportunity right there, and that's when I landed the punch," Aldo answered when asked about the punches after the bell.
"He rung my bell, for sure," Mendes said. "I was rushing to get my wits back about me."
Aldo also landed the more telling blows in the second and third round, including a right hook and a knee in the third frame that forced Mendes to briefly go on the defensive.
Mendes, however, kept himself in the fight, winning the fourth round handily as he landed combinations and targeted Aldo's bleeding left eye.
In the fifth round, however, it was Aldo who once again took control, landing combinations and avoiding Mendes' takedowns while also dodging the challenger's punches.
Mendes tried to go for the knockout, but Aldo successfully evaded his attacks and circled out of the challenger's range in the final minute of the fight.
"I gotta be honest here, I was just going hard, I didn't know what was going on," Mendes said after the fight. "I was just pushing myself, and obviously trying to out-strike him and mixing things up well."
Aldo absorbed tremendous punishment from Mendes, yet still landed 102 significant strikes – the most of his career. Later, he welcomed all challengers to his belt.
"I'll face anyone they put in front of me. I'm here as the champion," he said.
Mendes' record dropped to 16-2, with both losses coming to Aldo. The bout also ended his five-match winning streak.
In the undercard of the fight, middleweight contender Phil Davis routed Glover Teixeira, over three rounds to win a unanimous decision.
Davis successfully avoided Teixeira's punches while landing right hands of his own, and set the tone of the match en route to his 13th career win.
Davis then called out former middleweight champion Anderson Silva after his victory.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
