Champ Jose Aldo the star of today's UFC 142 open workouts in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO – On Tuesday night, the beaches of Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro were pelted with a pouring rain, even as workers diligently constructed the setting for the week's UFC 142 open-workout event.
But on Wednesday, the clouds parted – and the crowd gathered.
The featured combatants of this weekend's fight card were on full display for fans and media today, and while the afternoon started out as a scaled-down version of this past August's UFC 134 gathering in Rio, things changed when budding Brazilian superstar Jose Aldo took to the mats.
"My heart's beating really fast," Aldo told MMAjunkie.com through his interpreter, Derek Lee. "I'm very excited. It's so great to be here. The whole crowd at the beach waiting for me is just a great feeling."
Aldo (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who was the final athlete featured in the day's festivities, hit mitts with his trainers before engaging in a staredown with the man trying to take away his UFC featherweight championship, Chad Mendes (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
While the bout – which serves as the featured matchup of Saturday's pay-per-view card at Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena – is the first time Aldo has headlined a UFC card (not to mention the first time any 145-pounders have taken the featured spot in a UFC event), "Junior" downplayed the significance of the moment.
"It's just another fight," he said. "I've got to still go in there and train and get prepared and go in there and fight. It's just like any other fight.
"I feel I've been ready for this. I was born to do this. I was waiting for this moment, and it's here."
But still, as the Brazilian crowd began to chant, "Aldo! Aldo! Aldo!" and the champ rewarded their admiration by scaling a barrier wall and taking pictures with his belt and the fans, it was hard not to think back to this past August, when bona-fide superstar Anderson Silva seemed to hold the attention of the nation in his fingerless fight gloves.
Aldo, himself, downplayed the comparisons to his teammate, but he didn't minimize the appreciation for the gathered crowd.
"I feel like I've always gotten a lot of love from my fans, and the only thing I can do is show the love back in the cage," Aldo said. "I love them all. I'm just ready to go."
Belfort, Brandao, Silva tease "TUF: Brazil" debut
In addition to Aldo's budding superstardom, his countryman Diego Brandao, the featherweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 14," also commanded an afternoon crowd during his rounds as a special guest.
Brazilian MMA legends Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, who will serve as opposing coaches on the upcoming debut season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil," also were surrounded by both inquisitive media and adoring fans throughout the day. Belfort, of course, meets Anthony Johnson on the main card of Saturday's UFC 142 event, and filming for the season starts shortly after.
"TUF: Brazil" will be produced by Brazilian firm Floresta and air as part of the UFC's broadcast deal with Globo. The series is expected to feature 12 taped episodes in addition to a live finale.
If Wednesday's gathering is any indicator of potential success for the series, "TUF: Brazil" could prove as valuable to the promotion's growth in Brazil as the original series did in the U.S.
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