The UFC's 5 most memorable moments in Brazil

#2 Aldo heads into the crowd – UFC 142

Jose Aldo famously celebrated in the crowd after beating Chad Mendes at UFC 142

When the WEC’s roster – chock-full of the best lighter weight fighters in the world – was absorbed into the UFC at the start of 2011, everyone – UFC President Dana White included – predicted stardom for the Featherweight champion, Brazilian striker Jose Aldo. But while ‘Junior’ did win his first two Octagon outings, he didn’t quite catch on with the crowds like people had hoped.

Aldo never did get over as a true superstar with the crowds in the US, but his third UFC fight – the headliner of January 2012’s UFC 142, from Rio De Janeiro – saw him become an absolute superstar in Brazil after one wild moment of celebration. The 145lbs kingpin was faced with his toughest test to date in the form of unbeaten wrestler Chad Mendes, and many people questioned how he’d fare against arguably the best grappler in the division.

As it turned out, he had no problems whatsoever. A relatively low-key first round seemed to be petering out when Mendes grabbed hold of a rear waist lock, but his attempt to drag Aldo to the ground failed, and moments later, the Brazilian spun around into his opponent and uncorked a huge knee strike that sent him crashing down. A few follow-up punches landed, and the fight was over just a second before the buzzer sounded to end the round.

It was an incredible knockout, but it was what followed that really cemented Aldo’s rise to stardom. Rather than celebrate in the Octagon, Aldo vaulted the fence – and sprinted into the crowd to celebrate with the rabid Brazilian fans, scaring the UFC’s security team in the process. It was a classic moment, completely unplanned and completely unforgettable.

‘Junior’ would go onto have a further three title defenses in Brazil, winning two of them – but none were as memorable as this one.