Everyone knew Jose Aldo was a bad man.

On Saturday, he just confirmed it once again.

The UFC Featherweight Champion and top 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world put another highlight reel KO on his resume at UFC 142, finishing Chad Mendes with 1 second left in the first round thanks to a knee to the head.

Aldo (21-1) had control of the fight from the start, as he landed a number of leg kicks that seemed to bother Mendes. The contender attempted a number of takedowns, but Aldo managed to escape them all. As the opening round winded down, Aldo landed a big knee during the exchange and followed up with two big right hands on the ground that put Mendes out cold.

Following the win, the champion sprinted into the raucous Brazilian crowd, nearly causing a riot. But, disaster was averted.

Now, the big question for Aldo is what is next, as he has wiped out the 145-pound division and left no legit contenders.

In the co-main event, another local hero, Vitor Belfort, scored a first round win over Anthony Johnson by rear-naked choke.

Johnson came in 12 pounds overweight on Friday, but it didn’t seem to hurt Belfort and only left Johnson fatigued late in the first round.

With Johnson worn down, Belfort found his striking range and sent Johnson to the ground before taking his back and securing a choke late in the opening round.

The other highlight of the night had Edson Barboza putting his stamp on the lightweight division by delivering a wheel kick KO against Terry Etim.

The two had a very competitive first two rounds, but with two minute to go in the final round, Barboza unleashed a picture-perfect wheel kick that knocked Etim out cold on contact.

Barboza has now thrust himself into the top 10 of the division and looks to be a real threat in the 155-pound weight class.

For full results for UFC 142, check out the jump.

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HeavyMMA.com’s Spencer Kyte breaks down the 10 things we learned from UFC Fight Night 24 on Saturday.

PHIL DAVIS IS STILL GROWING
In the wake of Jon Jones’s tremendous rush to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division, a lot of people are expecting a similar quick climb for Davis. If his performance Saturday night is any indication, he’ll get there, but it shouldn’t be any time soon.

Davis is a tremendous talent with a very bright future, but he’s far from being a finished product. Earning a good win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is another step in the right direction, but showed that the former national champion’s striking is still a work in progress.

Some may frame his win Saturday night as a sign that the hype surrounding Davis is a little too much, but to me it as simply indicative of something Davis told me earlier in the week: he’s still green.

As he continues to develop, Davis will become a very dangerous part of the 205-pound division. I just hope people give him time to get there at his own pace.

Read the full list of 10.

HeavyMMA went to Seattle for UFC Fight Night 24 and they’ve got a complete recap on the preliminary and main card bouts.

ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA vs. PHIL DAVIS
Round 1: Davis circling away from Nogueira’s left to start, a wise decision. Head kick from Davis glances, both guys still finding range. Big kick from Phil lands, but Nogueira dones’t flinch. Exchange shots, Davis pushing in for a takedown, but Nogueira stays up. Davis driving knees into Nogueira’s thigh. Back into space, Nogueira measuring and swings wild with the left. Anything head kick offering from Davis. Shoots again, and again Nogueira stays up as the two clinch. Separated again, Davis tries with the head kick again, then gets another takedown denied. Big swing and a miss from Nogueira. Front kick from Davis misses. Head kick again from Davis and Nogueira lands his first solid left. Davis shoots and ends up throwing Nogueira to the ground, but the veteran is right back up. 30 seconds left. Swing and a miss again from Nogueira. Lands one at the 20 second mark, Davis shoots and again can’t get the takedown. Heavy scores it 10-9 Davis.

Read the full recap.

E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com takes an in-depth look at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 24 card from Seattle.

The UFC production team makes the cross-country trek for the second show in seven days as UFC Fight Night 24 hits Spike TV from the Pacific Northwest just a week after UFC 128 rocked New Jersey harder than Springsteen in his heyday.

While the card has undergone a number of changes since the original lineup was announced, each shift has made the event better.
Nam Phan squaring off with Leonard Garcia would have been good, but Garcia facing “The Korean Zombie” for a second time is awesome. Tito Ortiz facing fellow veteran Rogerio Nogueira was an okay main event, but switching Ortiz for Phil Davis makes things a lot more entertaining.

Cards on the table: I love all the changes because I’m going to be in Seattle (well, I’m in Seattle right now) covering this event for Heavy, so getting an even better lineup for my first assignment for the site is gravy on my french fries, maybe with some cheese curds mixed in.

Read the full preview.

According to Spike TV officials, the main card of “UFC Fight Night: Ortiz vs. Nogueira,” which is official for Seattle, is set to broadcast live on March 26.

From HeavyMMA.com:

Now that all bouts have been made official for “UFC Fight Night: Ortiz vs. Nogueira,” Spike TV officials have announced which four fights will be broadcast live this March.

Though no fight order has been set for the three fights leading up to the main event of the show, a featherweight rematch between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia will be featured on the main card, while Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson and Duane Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah will be as well. The headliner between light heavyweights Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will cap off the evening’s action.

Read the full article.

HeavyMMA.com is reporting that three bouts, including Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson, are official for UFC Fight Night 24 in Seattle on March 29.

The UFC recently announced that Seattle, Washington would play host to the upcoming “UFC Fight Night 24: Ortiz vs. Nogueira” and today the promotion announced three fights that will be featured on the card.

In the main event of the evening, former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz looks for a victory and job security against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, while former welterweight top contender Dan Hardy seeks redemption against Anthony Johnson in the evening’s co-main event. In the third official bout of the evening, “Ultimate Fighter” winner Amir Sadollah is set to face off against Duane Ludwig in a match up that will likely make the main card on March 29.

With three fights announced, focus seems to remain on Ortiz, who has struggled in recent years. UFC President Dana White is one of the many who has noticed and says that Ortiz’s time in the Octagon could be over depending on the result of the March fight.

Read the full article.

Orlando’s win last night in Atlanta was something of a statement game. The Magic were coming off a tough last-second loss at home the night before and the winner of this game would sit atop the Southeast Division. The Magic are playing without Jameer Nelson, so they need either Jason Williams or Anthony Johnson to step it up on a nightly basis, and last night it was the 35-year-old Johnson. He posted 17 points, three assists and two rebounds in just 21 minutes.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 17 rebounds, while Vince Carter chipped in with 21 points and nine boards.

Offseason Movement: The Magic were courting Corey Maggette for much of the offseason, but settled instead on Mickael Pietrus. With Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis surrounding Dwight Howard, the team needed an athletic off guard who can defend and Pietrus has the potential to be that guy. I say “potential” because the 26 year-old never quite fit in with Golden State, but the Magic are gambling that it had more to do with Don Nelson than Pietrus’ limitations. He’s a good shooter from the corner, and if he can improve his handle, he could develop a nice attack-the-basket game. He has all the tools to be a stopper defensively, but has thus far shown a propensity to commit way too many fouls.
Keep Your Eye On: Jameer Nelson
With Keyon Dooling gone, Nelson will likely be asked to play more minutes than he did last season (28.4). In the playoffs, he responded well to increased PT, posting 16.2 points and 4.7 assists in 33.3 minutes. Nelson is not a traditional playmaker, but he’s a good fit for what the Magic are trying to do. The team needs shooters to give Howard the space to work down low, and Nelson can most certainly shoot it (42% 3PT last season). At 26, it’s going to be interesting to see if he makes the next step or if his game has already topped out.
The Big Question: Does Orlando have enough of a bench to compete with the East’s best?
I really like Orlando’s starting five, but the team projects to have Anthony Johnson, J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans, Tony Battie and Adonal Foyle anchoring the bench. Those names don’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of Eastern Conference opponents. With Nelson, Pietrus, Turkoglu, Lewis and Howard, the team can compete with any group of starters in the East, but it remains to be seen if the bench can hold its own with its counterparts.
Outlook: Good. Orlando has done a nice job of assembling a team that can compete in the East, but I wonder if/when the team will start to pay for the monster contract they gave Rashard Lewis two summers ago. Will it limit their ability to re-sign Turkoglu next year? If not, the team will be way over the cap and limited to mid-level exception-type players for the foreseeable future. If management is will to spend like that, fine, but if they’re going to start cutting costs to stay below the luxury tax threshold, they’re going to have to make some tough decisions. And the team can’t afford to lose a player of Turkoglu’s stature. If the team is going to make the leap and become one of the league’s best, it is going to have to re-sign its stars, draft really well from late in the first round and spend its mid-level wisely.