Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes 2 headlines UFC 176 in L.A.

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will once again defend his title against #1 contender Chad “Money” Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), as UFC officials announced yesterday that the 145-pound rematch will serve as the headlining bout of this summer’s UFC 176 event in Los Angeles.

Chad Mendes first challenged Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title at January 2012’s UFC 142 event in Rio. Unfortunately for the Team Alpha Male product, Mendes ate a devastating knee thrown by Aldo, resulting in a first-round knockout loss.

Since suffering the first loss of his mixed martial arts career, Mendes has since posted 5-straight octagon victories, four of which have come by way of knockout. Chad’s most recent effort saw him score a unanimous decision win over Nik Lentz at December’s ‘UFC on FOX 9’ event in Sacramento.

Meanwhile,  following his victory over “Money” in January of 2012, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has since gone on to defend his title three times. “Scarface” earned a unanimous decision win over former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 in Las Vegas and followed that up by defeating the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung via fourth-round TKO at UFC 163.

Aldo’s most recent effort saw him earn a unanimous decision win over Ricardo Lamas at February’s UFC 169 event in New Jersey.

UFC 176 takes place August 2 live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main card airs live on pay-per-view, following the prelims which go down on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.