CONOR McGREGOR brutally knocked out Chad Mendes to win his first UFC gold medal.
Mendes arrived on the scene with just two weeks notice when José Aldo withdrew from his match against McGregor injured.
The American started the fight well before tiring and suffering a knockout in the second round.
McGregor later submitted Aldo in an infamous 13 seconds, five months, to unify his interim featherweight title and become undisputed champion.
But Mendes revealed that it was actually his fight against Aldo in 2014 that was the toughest.
The UFC classic lasted five rounds and is considered one of the greatest title fights of all time.
Mendes said MMA fight: “Aldo is a beast. To this day I tell everyone that this was my hardest fight.
“Everyone always thinks it’s Conor, but it wasn’t. Aldo was next level. I think it took about ten years of my life, I always say.
“That night I went back to the hotel, I was pissing blood. This had never happened in any of my fights.
McGregor, 36, would become a two-division champion when he added the lightweight title to his featherweight belt in 2016.
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Most recently, he was supposed to return on June 29th against Michael Chandler, 38, but an injury forced him out.
Meanwhile, Mendes, 39, left the UFC in 2018 and switched to bare-knuckle boxing, but has since retired.
Aldo, 37, made a successful return to the UFC by beating Jonathan Martinez, 30, in May.
Mendes said: “He’s a beast, man. I’m definitely not surprised that he came back and completely dominated like that.
“I didn’t even know he was coming back. He doesn’t need to. I think he just has a real love for it.
“And honestly, me too, that’s why I keep coming back. But this is awesome, man. I always enjoy watching Aldo fight.”
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