The Peoples Champ
by ProfessorBLove on Jan 17, 2012 6:19 PM EST
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Saturday night at UFC 142 in Rio, Featherweight champion Jose Aldo successfully defended his title against Team Alpha Male wrestler Chad Mendes in what many (including myself) consider the finest performance of his very young career. It was clear from the opening bell that Mendes had no answer for Aldo. Once we realized that the challenger was unable to take the champ down into his world, you got the feeling you were watching a vicious predator stalk its prey. Mendes biggest strength and only means of escape from certain death, was his speed and athleticism but that was completely nullified by Aldos brilliant onslaught of technical violence. Every takedown was denied and every leg kick was returned with much more ferocity. Mendes was doomed, and late in the first round he finally met his fate. After commiting himself to taking Aldo down against the cage the champ unleashed a devastating knee. Mendes was left unconscious.
What took place next is one of the most electrifying moments in MMA history...
Flying high on the adrenaline of the moment Aldo ran out of the cage and into the crowd to be embraced. As the crowd went into a frenzy Aldo was hoisted onto the shoulders of his fellow Brazillians. We weren't just watching a fighter celebrate a win, we were watching a star being born. We witnessed a country put a man who is from the worst parts of that nation be embraced like a national hero. The moment that crowd erupted they poured their hopes and dreams into him. Most of us will never achieve that level of success, when you're from where Aldo is your chances of succeeding are even more slim and when you consider that, what this young man achieved is even more impressive. He represents thousands of urban youth that will probably never make it out of ghettos all over the world. Nothing was ever given to him, he worked his way up using his athletic gifts and work ethic.
What the UFC (and sports in general) needs is more Jose Aldos and fewer athletes attempting to be the "heel" to market themselves. Aldo has become one of the biggest stars in Brazil by being genuine, humble and winning convincingly. Jose Aldo is the true peoples champ.
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Agreed
Im not even Brazilian, and thinking of that scene still gives me chills. Aldo is my favorite fighter in the world right now.
Ruining Your Special Night with all caps and the like. Be prepared to be disappointed. But not by us. Because of us.... We're not disappointing, it's the things we say to you, and.... fuck it, everyone else sucks. Mmkay?
by halitosis on Jan 17, 2012 6:42 PM EST via mobile reply actions
It's my favorite MMA moment of all time, just above Silva/Sonnen and Lesnar/Carwin
and props on the article. Fanposters linking to other sites need to take note on how it should be done.
Together we are Ruining Your Special Night. Twice.
by sun yue on Jan 17, 2012 7:29 PM EST reply actions 7 recs
Word!!!!!!!!!!
Fanposters linking to other sites need to take note on how it should be done.
Flip a coin......when it's in the air you'll know what you're hoping for
by LRaunThaDamaja on Jan 18, 2012 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
Reply fail
I meant that as a reply to sun yue, but it applies to ProfessorBLove’s post as well. Recs all around.
Not sure what to think..
Loved it, but that was a security nightmare. Plus he took a Flamengo Football Club flag and starts waving it. On a bad day in the wrong corner of the stadium you can get killed for that. What if the crowd turned on him or panic breaks out an people get crushed? How do you get him out of there? It’s an epic moment for MMA but for his safety and order in the stadium he shouldn’t do that.
That you should wheel yourself back in front of the hearth and let Nanny bring you a bisky
by UncleMax on Jan 18, 2012 2:34 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
HahahHa
Awesome
"Here we are with Seraldo Babalu, you did an awesome job, saw why you’re a black belt in jiu-jitsu, getting an awesome submission there, I want to tell me what you see, let’s go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring." - Tito (the Head) Ortiz - Great Commentator, or Greatest Commentator.
"GSP is me."
by El Pablo Diablo on Jan 19, 2012 11:42 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
That’s what I was thinking too. Maybe I’m just a whiny boring old man, but it didn’t seem like the smartest thing ever. Especially the waving of a club flag, when not everyone in that arena are fans of the same team. That was a bit lame IMHO.
See and learn the secret death touch!
by Horselover Fat on Jan 18, 2012 10:20 AM EST up reply actions
It wasn´t a soccer stadium in the first place.
And even then the problem in soccer stadiums around here is more related with the “Torcidas Organizadas” which are pretty much the same thing as the soccer “Firms” that were documented in the movie Green Street Hooligans. But they are way way worse here in Brazil.
The major firms/organizadas related to each team (sometime a single team has dozens of them) are usually tied to drug dealers when they are not runned by drug dealers themselves. When you see scenes of violence in brazilians soccers stadiums, 99% of the time are Firms/organizadas fighting between them. Make no mistake, they are savages, criminals, barbarians, call it what you want.
If you are in Rio using a Flamengo official jersey and walk in front of a group from Vasco da Gama (and vice-versa), you´ll probably hear a lot of bad things about your mother but, unless you respond, you will be safe. But if you wearing one the Firms/organizadas jersey there´s a good chance that you will be beaten to death and the jersey the you were wearing will be displayed like a trophy.
Very interesting, thanks! We have soccer firms here too causing problems, mostly just meeting up and fighting each other, but as far as I know they aren’t tied to organized crime in that way. To be honest I don’t really mind if they want to be stupid and fight each other at some remote location, but it sucks when innocent people get involved, or it ends up costing a lot of money for the clubs and businesses because of the violence and destruction of property.
What I meant about the flag thing is maybe more that it could be seen as disrespectful to his fans that aren’t supporters of his team, that’s why it could be seen as inappropriate at that time. If it had been a Brazil flag instead then everyone would be happy. Not a huge problem, just something I thought about.
See and learn the secret death touch!
by Horselover Fat on Jan 18, 2012 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
I see your point but I don´t think that´s a problem though. Anderson Silva represents Corinthians which is the team that I hate the most here in Brazil and I don´t care about it and I think most of the people don´t. If it was a brazilian suported by Flamengo fighting a brazilian suported by Vasco yeah, perhaps that could´ve be disrespectul or escalate to something more.
Okay, all good then. I don’t support any teams or clubs myself so I was just speculating a little about it.
See and learn the secret death touch!
by Horselover Fat on Jan 18, 2012 2:36 PM EST up reply actions
Reminded me of a scene from "Senna"
Beautiful stuff.
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
funny I was thinking the same thing…
these are a few of my favorite things in no order: BHO, WANDY, burritos, chili, HMK glass, USMTA, NYHC, Motorhead, turtles, frogs, rewatching Chael tap to Anderson, and Big Nog KOing Schaub.
by the jewish conquistador on Jan 18, 2012 1:48 PM EST up reply actions
Nice stuff Prof!
On another note: I was honestely expecting a Tito Ortiz lifetime achievement fanpost. ^^
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
Like your writing a lot.
Following your blog now.
Share for share, share alike, you'll get struck each time I strike.
You called?
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This happens all the time in soccer
It was a great moment but not one I have never seen before
Watching Tevez dive into the West Ham crowd after scoring another relegation saving goal comes to mind….an Argentine phenom absolutely immortalized by the London supporters
Every country will support there own…supporting an outsider and embracing him is much more captivating IMO
Tevez vid- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpzgPnL8ORs
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