UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes, Belfort vs. Johnson live results

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UFC 142 takes place Saturday night from the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. In the main event, undefeated Chad Mendes challenges champion Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. In the co-feature, Vitor Belfort battles Anthony Johnson.

Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho

Carvalho is a world traveled Canadian fighter making his UFC debut. Arantes is fighting in his native Brazil and sports a 13-4 record.

Round 1. Carvalho takes Arantes down a couple times early and advances position into side control and full mount. Arantes is able to get back up to his feet. The fight is contested on the feet for the remainder of the round, with each man landing solid blows. 10-9 Carvalho.

Round 2. Carvalho is better able to implement his standing attack early, mixing in head kicks with straight punches. Arantes throws a flashy kick but it doesn’t land well and he isn’t able to get off to the same degree as Carvalho. Carvalho does land a knee later in the round. Pretty close round 10-9 Carvalho.

Round 3. Arantes gets a takedown and drops down a few elbows that open up a cut. Arantes continues to work over Carvalho with punches and elbows as the round progresses. They return to the feet at the close of the round and Arantes lands a nice straight right punch. Close fight. Round 1 was clearly Carvalho and round 3 clearly Arantes with round 2 up for grabs. 10-9 Arantes, 29-28 Carvalho.

Winner: Felipe Arantes, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle

Funch is a Brazilian fighter who fights out of the US and sports a 0-2 UFC record. Pyle is a UFC, WEC, EliteXC and Affliction veteran who has fought many of the top fighters in the sport.

Round 1. Pyle lands a nice straight right punch. It staggers Funch back and Pyle follows with a big knee. That drops Funch and Pyle continues with punches until the fight is stopped.

Winner: Mike Pyle, TKO, round 1.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Alcantara sports an impressive 26-3 record, fighting only once in 2011 after eight fights in 2010. Omigawa is a well respected Japanese star who hasn’t been as effective outside his native country.

Round 1. Alcantara dominates the standup early, landing crisp combinations of punches and kicks. Alcantara is a much faster and more dynamic striker. Alcantara lands a quality left/right punch combination. He lands another a minute later. Alcantara drops Omigawa with a spinning back elbow and looks to close. He takes Omigawa’s back and throws punches to the side of the head. Omigawa spins out and takes top position. Omigawa drops down a few punches but Alcantara sinks in an armbar at the close of the round. It is fully extended as the round concludes but Omigawa is saved by the bell. 10-8 Alcantara.

Round 2. Omigawa seems content to continue to trade even after struggling in the first round. He gets a few good shots in but is dropped with a punch and Alcantara takes top position. Alcantara takes full mount and drops down heavy punches. Omigawa turns his back and Alcantara looks for a rear naked choke but Omigawa avoids it. Omigawa’s ear is a mess. Alcantara continues throwing punches from the top. Omigawa tries to set up a knee bar at the close of the round but isn’t remotely close. 10-8 Alcantara.

Round 3. Both men have slowed considerably, particularly Alcantara. Omigawa is able to land some punches on the tired Alcantara. Alcantara answers back with a series of punches that connect well on the chin of Omigawa. Omigawa is more aggressive moving forward but Alcantara is connecting more with his strikes. Omigawa lands a couple punches from close range and takes Alcantara down with 90 seconds left in the round. Omigawa controls the top and lands punches until the fight is stood up by the referee with just seconds left. Alcantara takes Omigawa down and gets mount in that very short time and drops down big punches until the fight concludes. That was a closer round but Alcantara still wins on the basis of more effective offensive standup. 10-9 Alcantara, 30-25 Alcantara.

Winner: Yuri Alcantara, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Ednaldo Oliveira vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Oliveira is an undefeated prospect who trains with Junior Dos Santos. He has received a significant amount of hype heading into his UFC debut. Gonzaga is a former UFC heavyweight title contender but has faded in recent years.

Round 1. The standup is tentative early. They both maintain distance and don’t really exchange. Gonzaga shoots and gets a nice takedown two minutes in. He ends up in side control. Oliveira stands back up but Gonzaga retains control of his body and slams him back down. Gonzaga sinks in a rear naked choke and gets the tap.

Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga, submission, round 1.

Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares

Stout is an exciting Canadian fighter with an excellent striking game. Tavares is a well rounded Brazilian fighter particularly adept in jiu jitsu. Both are well respected lightweights but haven’t been able to break through to the upper echelon of a deep division.

Round 1. Tavares takes Stout down early. Stout gets back up but Tavares takes him back down. Stout again tries to stand and Tavares again slams him back down. Stout once more tries to get up but Tavares grabs a guillotine and pulls guard. Stout gets out of the guillotine and ends up on top. Tavares looks for a heel hook but Stout rolls out of trouble and ends up back on his feet. Back in his comfort zone, Stout lands a few nice punches. Tavares answers with a good overhand right and left hook. 10-9 Tavares.

Round 2. Tavares stands with Stout for the first half of the round, doing surprisingly well. Stout, perhaps fazed by the takedown attempts, isn’t throwing that much. Tavares lands a few good punches and mixes in some kicks as well. Stout throws some body punches but isn’t able to connect all that much to the head. One wouldn’t expect Tavares to win a round almost entirely standing against Stout, but I’ve got that round 10-9 Tavares.

Round 3. There is a break in the action following a low blow to Tavares early. Tavares seems comfortable in the standup game and the two fighters exchange punches on their feet. Neither is throwing many kicks and both are throwing wilder punches than in the first two rounds. Stout is able to connect better than in the first two rounds but the fight remains exceedingly close. Stout drops Tavares to a knee with a punch late and follows with a big uppercut. 10-9 Stout, 29-28 Tavares.

Winner: Thiago Tavares, unanimous decision (scores weren’t announced).

Terry Etim vs. Edson Barboza

Barboza is a surging undefeated prospect with excellent striking. Etim is a highly regarded in his own right, with both very good standup and groundwork.

Round 1. Etim throws a left hook and looks for a takedown. Barboza defends it. Etim throws a few jabs and a head kick, then goes for another takedown. Etim takes Barboza down but Barboza immediately pushes him off and stands back up. Barboza lands a few heavy leg kicks as Etim moves forward with punches. Etim goes for another takedown but eats a knee and is brushed off. Barboza gets in his comfort zone as the round progresses, landing a bunch of kicks including a spinning back kick towards the end of the round. 10-9 Barboza.

Round 2. Barboza immediately goes back to leg kicks, punishing Etim’s lead leg. Etim lands a few leg kicks of his own, but they just don’t have the same zip. Etim does execute a nice combination of a body punch and punch to the head, following with a head kick. Etim takes Barboza down but Barboza again gets back up pretty much immediately. 10-9 Barboza.

Round 3. Barboza lands a leg kick again early. Etim closes range and lands a nice knee to the body. Etim follows with a stiff jab and additional punches. Barboza isn’t terribly active early. He shrugs off another takedown. Barboza then knocks Etim out cold with a beautiful spinning wheel kick to the head. That was just a spectacular conclusion to the fight.

Winner: Edson Barboza, KO, round 3.

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Silva is an emerging young Brazilian fighter who won his first UFC fight in just 40 seconds. Prater is a midlevel Strikeforce and WEC veteran making his UFC debut.

Round 1. Silva lands a flying knee to the body and then throws a series of punches to the head until the fight is called off. But referee Mario Yamasaki makes a terrible call, labeling Carlo Prater the winner via disqualification for incidental punches to the back of the head as the fight was being closed.

Winner: Carlo Prater, disqualification, round 1.

There were a few punches to the back of the head mixed in with punches to the side of the head, but in just about every fight where a fighter turns his back that’s going to happen. It’s difficult to pinpoint punches in that situation, and the benefit of the doubt should go to the fighter who is winning.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

Palhares is a dangerous submission grappler with a reputation for being a dirty fighter. Massenzio is a wrestler with good submission grappling as well.

Round 1. Palhares throws a few leg kicks early. He takes Massenzio down but Massenzio gets back up. Palhares pulls guard, wraps up a heel hook, and gets the submission. This has been a night of quick and decisive finishes.

Winner: Rousimar Palhares, submission, round 1.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson

Belfort is the longest tenured UFC fighter, a popular knockout artist with some of the fastest hands in the game. Johnson is a powerful wrestler with dangerous striking as well. He was a big welterweight who had trouble making 170 pounds, so he moved up to 185 pounds for this fight. Of course, he then failed to make 185 pounds by a whopping 11 pounds. Johnson’s UFC future is now in doubt due to the lack of professionalism in repeatedly failing to make weight.

Round 1. They start out swinging wildly. Johnson slams an off balance Belfort down, spiking his head on the mat hard. Belfort looks for an armbar but can’t get it. Johnson drops down a huge punch from high up. They are stood up very quickly. Johnson looks for another takedown. Belfort blocks it and throws some punches up against the cage. There is another quick separation. Belfort lands a couple big punches and a knee. Johnson shoots for a takedown and gets Belfort down. After a few punches, there is yet another quick standup. Belfort starts throwing big punches again as Johnson dives in. Johnson looks noticeably slowed and Belfort looks to grab his back. Belfort sinks in his hooks and tries for a rear naked choke. He sinks it in and gets the submission.

Winner: Vitor Belfort, round 1, submission.

UFC featherweight title: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes

Aldo is the featherweight champion, undefeated in WEC and UFC. He is fast and powerful, with dynamic striking and an elite ground game that he never has to use. However, he has not been tested against top flight competition to the degree that most long time champions are. Mendes is an undefeated Team Alpha Male fighter with excellent wrestling.

Round 1. Mendes lands a couple of leg kicks at the start of the round. Aldo answers with one that turns Mendes around. Mendes goes for a takedown but Aldo defends easily. Aldo lands a nice uppercut and brushes off another Mendes takedown attempt. Aldo then blocks another. Aldo moves in with strikes and Mendes uses the opportunity to try to take him down. Aldo blocks at first, then grabs the fence to block another. Mendes gets him down briefly but Aldo stands back up. Aldo lands a big knee that knocks Mendes down and follows with punches to close the fight. The fight was stopped just as the round was about to end. Jose Aldo then runs into the crowd to celebrate. The stoppage came at 4:59.

Winner: Jose Aldo, TKO, round 1.

--Todd Martin

Follow Todd on Twitter at @toddmartinmma