''UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event held on October 25, 2014, at

Ginásio do Maracanãzinho Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso or Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, sometimes called just Maracanãzinho ("Little Maracanã" or "Mini Maracanã"), is an indoor arena located in Maracanã in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is used mostly for ...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Background

The event was headlined by a Featherweight Championship rematch between the current champion

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fight ...

, and top contender

Chad Mendes Chad Edward Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from the ...

. Their first fight at

UFC 142 ''UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first UFC event of the year, and was broadcast live on pay-per-view ...

, also contested in Rio de Janeiro, ended in a first round knockout victory in favor of Aldo. The headliner was originally scheduled to take place on August 2, 2014, at

UFC 176 ''UFC 176: Aldo vs. Mendes II'' was a planned mixed martial arts event that was scheduled to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 2, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background The event was expected to be h ...

. However, on July 2, Aldo pulled out of the fight citing a neck injury suffered during training. Subsequent to Aldo's injury, that event was postponed on July 8, when the UFC announced they were unable to replace the original main event fight and with less than a month before the event, the decision was made to postpone the event – though the promotion said the numbering scheme for already scheduled pay-per-views after it, including

UFC 177 ''UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 30, 2014, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. Background The event was originally planned to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev ...

in Sacramento on August 30, would remain in consecutive order. That entire fight card was re-booked for other events.

Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Stephens (born May 26, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional since 2005, he spent 15 years and competed in 33 bouts in the UFC ...

was linked to a possible bout with

Lucas Martins Lucas Martins (born 11 November 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of Brave Combat Federation, where he is a former interim lightweight champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2011, Ma ...

at the event. However, Stephens' manager indicated shortly after the fight announcement was leaked that they had no intention of taking the fight. Martins faced

Darren Elkins Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he fights in the Featherweight division. Elkins is known for his toughness and comeback victories. Background Elkins was bor ...

instead.

Fabrício Camões Fabrício dos Santos Camões (; born December 23, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Camões's primary style in the cage is Brazil ...

was originally scheduled to face

Josh Shockley Josh Shockley (born November 15, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Shockley has also previously competed for the UFC and Bellator. Mixed martial arts ...

at the event. However, Shockley was removed from the bout citing injury and was replaced by

Anthony Rocco Martin Anthony "Tony" Rocco Martin (born December 11, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Palos Heights, Illinois, M ...

. Alan Patrick was expected to face

Beneil Dariush Beneil Khobier Dariush (born May 6, 1989) is an Assyrian-American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, he is #4 in the UFC lightw ...

at this event. However, Patrick was forced to pull out due to a broken jaw he received during training. Dariush instead faced

Carlos Diego Ferreira Carlos Diego Ferreira (born January 18, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Legacy FC lightweight champion, and vacated the ...

. During weigh ins, three fighters missed weight:

Scott Jorgensen Scott Roger Jorgensen (born September 17, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Jorgensen has formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, and ShoXC. Backgroun ...

(128 lb), Fabrício Camões (158 lb) and Tony Martin (157 lb). Jorgensen was fined 20% of his purse, while Camões and Martin, who were involved in the same fight, were not issued a fine.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: *Fight of the Night: José Aldo vs. Chad Mendes *Performance of the Night: Fábio Maldonado and Gilbert Burns

References

{{UFC Events Ultimate Fighting Championship events 2014 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Brazil International sports competitions in Rio de Janeiro (city) 2014 in Brazilian sport

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References