The first time Chad Mendes fought Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight championship in January 2012 in Brazil, he did not pause to soak things in as he walked out.
He was, literally, afraid of the crowd.
Not that Mendes, 29, can't handle boos. It's just that at the time, he had never fought outside the United States, and info he received on what to expect from Brazilian fans -- basically that they were rowdy to the point of being dangerous -- might have been exaggerated.
When it came time to cover the distance between backstage and the Octagon, Mendes did it quickly with his eyes glued to the floor.
"We just put our heads down and ran," Mendes told ESPN.com. "We just wanted to get the hell in there and not get hit by a bottle or something. I had never fought in Brazil, and all I heard was that it was crazy over there. Dangerous. I had all these crazy fears in my mind. It was not as bad as it was made out to be."
For the second time in a little less than three years, Mendes (16-1) will attempt to dethrone Aldo (24-1) in the Brazilian's backyard of Rio de Janeiro. The bout headlines UFC 179 this Saturday at Maracanazinho Gymnasium.
His first attempt ended with one second remaining in the first round, when he was knocked out by an Aldo knee. Immediately after knocking Mendes out, Aldo famously dove into the Brazilian crowd.
A lot has changed for Mendes since.
For one, Mendes' camp at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, has a head coach -- something it didn't have when he fought Aldo the first time. In early 2012, the "coach" of the gym was mitt-holder Thonglor "Master Thong" Armatsena, whose opinion on specific game-planning never sat entirely well with Mendes. Armatsena's opinion was to never do it.
"He barely spoke English, and he didn't believe in game plans," Mendes said. "We would try to ask him what he thought, and he was all about freestyle and letting it happen naturally. I never liked it. [Urijah] Faber is into that sometimes, and he's able to do it, but I like looking at an opponent and studying their tendencies.
"Honestly, the game plan in that first fight was to go out there and wrestle. I was going to take shot after shot after shot and wear him down until I finally got a takedown. Me and [training partner] Justin Buchholz worked a ton on my cardio for that fight. The plan was to take him into deep waters, but we never got it there."
In late 2012, striking coach Duane Ludwig joined Team Alpha Male. Ludwig trained Mendes on a daily basis until last month, when he elected to move back to his home state of Colorado and open a gym. Ludwig, who will be in Mendes' corner Saturday, was recently replaced by semiretired UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann. Both have assumed that void of head coach and are not opposed to game planning.
The rematch between Mendes and Aldo was originally supposed to take place at UFC 176 on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles, but the bout was postponed when Aldo suffered a neck injury.
For the most part, Mendes has taken the change of venue in stride, although he has expressed some concern regarding the adequacy of drug testing procedures in Brazil.
He also intends to look into the official selections for the five-round bout. In the first bout, Aldo got away with a blatant fence grab with a mere warning from acting referee Mario Yamasaki. Mendes said he wouldn't protest the selection of any referee to the fight, but said he and his team are planning an extensive prefight talk with whoever it is.
"As long as we go over it, I don't mind who the referee is," Mendes said. "It's definitely something we're going to talk about.
"The crowd swaying judges is huge. Obviously, in a fight like this, if it goes the distance, any time I hit him, the crowd is silent. Any time he hits me, there's an uproar. Of course, that's going to weigh on judges, but it's not something new. I just have to brush it off and do what I've got to do."
Despite the potential burdens of fighting outside the U.S., and his one poor experience doing so, Mendes made it clear there is one international bout he'd never turn down -- surging Irish featherweight Conor McGregor.
Even if the UFC belt is around his waist, that's a fight Mendes says he wouldn't mind traveling to.
"St. Patrick's Day, let's do [Conor McGregor in Ireland]," Mendes said. "Hell yeah. That would be badass. I would whoop the s--- out of Conor in front of his entire nation."
Breakdown: Fighting Jose Aldo looks like a legitimately nightmarish experience. Let's establish that immediately.
For all the attention his leg kicks receive (and for good reason), his jab is actually just as -- if not more -- effective. He's not a guy who shows it to you 30 times before landing it. He's selective (and accurate) in throwing it, and it serves to disrupt an opponent's offense and causes serious damage all on its own. He'll follow it with his piston of a right or that signature outside leg kick, but just that jab all by itself is a hammer of a weapon.
Eat one too many, now the nose is bloodied and breathing is compromised. Now, here comes the low kick with the force of a baseball bat. All of a sudden, wrestling sounds like a great idea, which plays right into Aldo's hands, as he's got phenomenal takedown defense and counter striking off opponents' wrestling attempts. Night. Marish.
Still, Mendes has a shot here. For one, he's in a completely different frame of mind than the first time they fought (in January 2012). He has far more confidence in his overall skill set this time around. He's no longer a promising, but still raw, talent. He's an established, dynamic featherweight with finishing ability in multiple areas -- and he knows it.
The game plan for Mendes has to be movement. Nobody can stand in front of Aldo and let him get off. He's too good at intercepting strikes that come from straight on, and his accuracy is deadly if you stand still. Ideally, Mendes wants to make him work early in the fight but not pay for doing so. The way to do that is beat Aldo with footwork -- enter, exit, move on a 360-degree plane and then do it again. Never stop.
What's big here is Mendes' power. He doesn't need to load up or get heavy on his feet to generate it. His right hand reminds me a little of Johny Hendricks' left. He has built-in closing speed and hip strength from his wrestling days. He doesn't need to wing an overhand right to drop someone. He floats in with speed, and the straight right will pull power from his hips. It's physics, son.
Of course, if a takedown presents itself, you take it if you're Mendes. You can't force it, though. Aldo is very hard to take down (especially early) and can be even harder to keep down. Early rounds are crucial here, because if Aldo is ever vulnerable, it does appear to happen late. Steal an early round, drag him into deep water? You might be on to something.
One has to mention, however, the lack of late-round experience for Mendes. There's no guarantee he'll look fresh late, but his wrestling might be an X-factor if both fighters tire.
Prediction: Mendes' power could have its say here. In this sport, we're always just one stinging right hand away from a division crown exchanging hands. Beyond that, however, I have to pick Aldo to beat Mendes a second time. He's still the better striker with a longer track record, and he hasn't gotten any easier to take down. ALDO BY TKO, ROUND THREE.
Breakdown: Neither Glover Teixeira nor Phil Davis brought the house down last time they fought, but Davis especially just looked bad.
Early on, it appeared Davis felt something from Anthony Johnson he did not feel comfortable with. He never completely gave up, but the concerned look on his face was unmistakable. That look might resurface against Teixeira.
Davis was never able to back Johnson up. He moves well around the cage and tries to utilize his athleticism, but he just doesn't possess a lot of power. Once Johnson established his takedown defense, there was nothing to stop him from coming forward. There was no threat of a knockout shot or explosive double leg to put him on his back. He was free and clear to hunt his prey -- which is what Davis became.
If Teixeira establishes the same thing, Davis will once again be cooked. Teixeira isn't too flashy on the feet, but he's effective. When he gets an opponent on his heels, he takes full advantage to the body and head. Outside of the left hook and right cross, he doesn't vary things a whole lot, but oftentimes, that's enough. He's got very good takedown defense and knows how to cut off the cage.
That last bit is important because Davis needs space. As surprising as it was to see him hold his own against a striker like Lyoto Machida one year ago, at least in that fight, Machida gave him space to work because he also likes to fight on the outside. Facing a more aggressive boxer, with the ability to cut him off, might actually be a tougher task for Davis' kickboxing than the elusive, counter point-fighting of Machida.
Prediction: If Davis can't get the fight down, he'll be in trouble. He might have pockets of success here and there, frustrating Teixeira with movement, but if this plays out on the feet, Teixeira wins. Even if Davis gets him down, Teixeira is no slouch there and will be difficult to keep down. This is a tough matchup for Davis. TEIXEIRA BY DECISION.