Jose Aldo, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) featherweight champion, retains his world title against Chad Mendes in a five-round war in the UFC: 179 fight card. He stands as the remaining Brazilian champion in the organization.

Coming into the fight, things were getting heated. Whether it be from all the trash talking that Mendes was doing or the pressure that Aldo was the lone Brazilian champion, it was visibly taking its toll when the champion shoved the challenger during a previous press conference.

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However, Aldo seemed to thrive on it after their main event match.

The fight was a barn burner.

Since the first round, both fighters came out swinging. Early in the first, Aldo looked to get the better of Mendes, catching him with combinations and knocking him down a number of times.

After the first bell, Aldo was still able to land a one-two combination that rocked Mendes.

The onslaught continued, as Aldo kept the pressure and landed more and more shots on Mendes throughout the second. However, Mendes started fighting back and caught Aldo with some more shots.

Mendes had gone through a transformation, and prior to his rematch with the champion, was on five-fight win streak that showcased his improved striking and seamless mixed martial arts (MMA) transitions.

That improvement shone through in the third to the fifth rounds.

He was throwing leg kicks most of the night - a surprise against the champ who often used it in his arsenal - and was also checking Aldo's kicks.

His footwork was key to most of his success in the fight, as he utilized stutter step movements to close the distance and land combinations to the body and to the head.

After the fourth, Aldo's face was bruised with significant swelling in his eye areas. He even had a cut, with the blood getting in his eyes.

The two fighters fought on to the final championship round, with Mendes landing more and more combinations and takedowns.

At the sound of the final bell, the two fighters hugged, with a new-formed mutual respect for each other.

Aldo won the fight via unanimous decision, 49-46, and retained his featherweight championship.

Both fighters received US $50,000 for their fight, as it was nominated as the fight of the night.

TagsJose Aldo, Chad Mendes, UFC, featherweight, UFC: 179, Fight of the night