A rematch between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes is set to headline UFC 176 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Aug. 2, the UFC announced late Sunday.
Aldo handed Mendes his first and only career loss when he knocked him out with a knee back when the two met in the main event of UFC 142 in Brazil in January 2012.
Since the loss, Mendes (16-1) has won five in a row, including four by knockout. The Team Alpha Male member is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Nik Lentz in December. He also holds notable wins over Clay Guida, Michihiro Omigawa and Erik Koch.
Aldo (24-1) is one of the top pound-for-pound talents in MMA and is a perfect 14-0 in his UFC/WEC career. The 27-year-old champion recently defeated Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision in the UFC 169 co-main event in February. The Brazilian has won 17 straight fights overall, during which he’s defeated the likes of Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Chan Sung Jung, Mike Brown and Mark Hominick among others.
No other bouts have been added to UFC 176 at this time. This will be the fourth time the UFC has held an event at the venue.
