Aldo came out swinging. Once again, however, Mendes poked Aldo in the eye and the referee outright told him that if it happens again, he'll be taking a point.
As was the case after the previous two stoppages in action, both fighters came out fast and furious upon the restart. Aldo landed a couple hard shots but Mendes cut an angle and found a home for a few punches of his own.
The champion's aggression was paying off in this round, each successful punch delighting the partisan crowd in Brazil. Then, suddenly, Mendes landed a big shot that rocked Aldo and had him hurt. When the challenger rushed in, he was met with hard counter punches that not only slowed his flurry but scored a knockdown in return.
Aldo recovered enough to continue pushing ahead with big punches. Mendes smartly tied the Brazilian up, pushing him against the fence, leaning on him, and hitting foot stomps to ensure the referee didn't separate them.
The round ended just after they reset in the center.
For more on "Aldo vs. Mendes 2" click here, and for complete UFC 179 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.
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