Despite their first encounter at UFC 142 in January 2012 ending in the opening frame, featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes delivered a top “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 179 on Saturday.

Both competitors traded heavy shots for the better part of the 25-minute scrap, beginning around when Mendes dropped Aldo with a left hook early in the first round.

While Aldo rallied back to win the round, controversy arose when Aldo hit Mendes with a flush 1-2 combo after the bell rang to conclude the frame.

In the third frame, it looked as though Mendes may finish the bout after landing an uppercut flush, but he lost his composure when looking to land some follow up shorts and was on the verge of being stopped by a flurry of strikes from the champ.

The Team Alpha Male standout then managed to battle back and win the fourth round, however, it was the only round the challenger decisively won.

The fifth round saw neither fighter able to sustain much offense, though that didn’t stop the two warriors from slinging leather as the bout came to a conclusion.

Additionally, Mendes was twice warned about eye pokes in what was an otherwise stellar performance, with referee Marc Goddard threatening to deduct a point if the infraction happened again.

Although the bout wasn’t perfect, fight fans unanimously praised the heart and skill of both competitors – who were, unsurprisingly, awarded “Fight of the Night” honors for their efforts.

Aldo has now increased his win streak to an incredible 18 bouts in a row and has defended his UFC gold seven times.

Meanwhile, Mendes had a five-fight win streak snapped, though the only losses of his professional fight career have come against Aldo.