Aldo floors Mendes at UFC 142, keeps featherweight title

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Jose Aldo stopped Chad Mendes with one devastating knee to the head in the first round Saturday night, retaining his featherweight title in his homeland at UFC 142.

Aldo (21-1) spun and knocked Mendes senseless on his back with a perfectly timed right knee that caught Mendes (11-1) flush in the face. Aldo then landed two punches to Mendes' defenseless head before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bout before the bell.

Aldo then bolted from the octagon and sprinted into the HSBC Arena crowd, which raised him on its shoulders to cap the Ultimate Fighting Championship's second event in Brazil in six months after a 13-year absence. Aldo has won 14 straight fights since November 2005, including three defenses of the UFC's first featherweight title belt.

"This is why I do this," Aldo said through a translator. "I'm so happy to be fighting at home."

The card featured several dramatic finishes by Brazilian fighters for the sellout crowd. Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort stopped Anthony Johnson with a first-round submission, and Rousimar Palhares beat Mike Massenzio with a first-round leglock.