Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight championship against Chad Mendes in the UFC 142 main event on Saturday at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 25-year-old Nova Uniao standout has not fought in his homeland since May 2007, and, during a pre-fight teleconference, he admitted fighting Mendes in Brazil adds another dimension to the experience:

“There’s more attention, and it is a great pleasure to defend my title in my home country. It means everything for me to come back fighting in my country as a champion. This is where I started, just with dreams and hopes, and now I am back as a champion. It is a great feeling, but I will try to think about it after the fight. I still have to train hard and win this fight. I found a few things in his game I can exploit. I’ve trained very hard for this fight; I never underestimate any fighter and want to remain as champion.”