Jose Aldo: Mendes striking has not evolved

UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo knows very well that the man he fights this weekend for a second time, Chad Mendes, has won four of his past five contests via knockout or TKO.

But those statistics haven’t made Aldo a believer in “Money’s” striking skills, as he told Combate (via Bloody Elbow) in a recent interview:

“I see no difference in his game. He’s still the same person with the same game. He’s maybe more confident but there is nothing that I can see to tell: ‘Oh, the guy has better striking now.’ No. He has never had a bout with a good striker and fought three rounds against him. In the cage, we’ll see who evolved more.”

Aldo does have a point, as Mendes’ recent knockout/TKO victories have come over Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza, Clay Guida, and Nik Lentz, none of whom are known for their striking skills.

Do you think Chad Mendes’ striking skills have evolved enough to dethrone the UFC’s longtime featherweight champion? Or will Jose Aldo once again rise to the occasion and prove he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet? Sound off Penn Nation!