Above is the audio of Wednesday's media call to promote UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. Featured on the call is UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and unbeaten contender Chad Mendes. Co-headlining middleweights Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson also joined the panel. UFC Director of Communications Dave Sholler moderated the discussion. (Note: Due to several poor phone connections to Brazil, audio quality varies among speakers. Also, Aldo's connection resulted in an audible beep that can be heard throughout the call.)
As expected, Aldo spoke at length about his preparation for the upcoming title defense. The champion has been joined by former lightweight contender Gray Maynard, who traveled to Brazil's Nova Uniao camp to emulate Mendes' wrestling pedigree. "I found a few things in his game I can exploit," Aldo stated. "I've trained very hard for this fight. I never underestimate any fighter and want to remain a champion."
Mendes, meanwhile, insisted that Maynard's help won't matter once the cage doors swing shut. "They don't know how good I am," the American countered. "They've never fought me or trained with me. I am very, very ready for this title shot. He has great takedown defense but my type of shot is a ‘blast-you-off-your-feet' type of shot."
UFC 142 will be held on January 14th at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For a complete rundown of the card, visit MMA Nation's UFC 142 fight card StoryStream.