Smartest Guy at the Bar: UFC 179 Edition

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It will have been 21 days since the Ultimate Fighting Championship has staged an event -- the longest drought of the year. The two-continent doubleheader on Oct. 4 was the last time the Octagon was put to use, so you can image the joy emanating from the Smartest Guy at the Bar when he pulled his dehydrated body out of the desert and into the oasis known as UFC 179, scheduled for Saturday at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. There, he found the usual suspects for a Brazilian pay-per-view: a native champion defending his belt, a slew of Brazilians fighting foreign underdogs and an undying hope that the production team keeps the mics hot while Wallid Ismail corners his fighters.

HOW WE GOT HERE: Like nearly all Jose Aldo fights, injuries played a role in where and when the featherweight champion gave his next challenger a shot at dethroning him. His rematch with Chad Mendes was originally booked for UFC 176 on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles. However, a neck injury to the champion brought those plans to a halt and buried UFC 176 next to UFC 151 in the cemetery of cancelled cards. The UFC has since turned the six upside down, brought it back to life, moved it to Brazil and called it UFC 179 “The Zombie Awakes,” or at least that is what the promotion should have called it ... Two light heavyweights will try to rebound from losses suffered at UFC 172, as Glover Teixeira takes on Phil Davis in the co-main event. Teixeira failed in his title bid against Jon Jones, the defeat ending his 20-fight winning streak, while Davis flirted with becoming the No. 1 contender at 205 pounds before falling to Anthony Johnson.

Related: UFC 179 Preview, Predictions

TAKE TWO: UFC 179 provides the setting for the first rematch of Aldo’s illustrious 25-fight career. However, it could easily be the first of many sequels if the featherweight division stays on its current path. Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson, two contenders who have already fallen to the champion, are booked to headline a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 22 in Austin, Texas. The winner will emerge as the man most deserving of a title fight. Dennis Bermudez could provide the division with some fresh blood if he can get past recent Aldo victim Ricardo Lamas at UFC 180. And then there is Conor McGregor. The Irishman’s resume is still lacking, but he has the most momentum and hype among the top featherweights. Here is hoping the 145-pound division can keep pumping out contenders.

IN ALDO’S DEFENSE: Plenty of discussion has surrounded Aldo’s focus and entertainment value since he joined the UFC. In World Extreme Cagefighting, the Brazilian wowed audiences with knockouts, killer instinct and unmatched athleticism. In the UFC, he has appeared to take his foot off the gas in later rounds to commit to a risk-averse style, doing just enough to win.

Let us discuss, shall we? It is tempting to remember the Aldo of the WEC and long for double-knee knockouts and leg-tenderizing kicks again, but that version was simply unsustainable. He scored seven knockouts in eight fights, his lone decision coming against Urijah Faber in a fight where low kicks left the American with one of the most horrendously disfigured legs in recent memory. Aldo looked downright magnificent against Jonathan Brookins, Rolando Perez, Chris Mickle and others, but he is fighting much better competition now. It is no wonder the UFC uses so much WEC footage in its Aldo promos -- he looked unstoppable -- and it is understandable if fans are annoyed when the promo version of Aldo does not match the one they paid $60 to see. Speaking of competition, Aldo’s six UFC opponents were all top contenders who were notoriously difficult to finish: Mendes, Edgar, Lamas, Chan Sung Jung, Kenny Florian and Mark Hominick. Of those six men, only Florian had been finished in a UFC fight before facing Aldo. Finishes are hard to come by. Even Jon Jones gets the occasional Chael Sonnen fight. Aldo has received no such easy layups. Of course, that is assuming one believes Aldo is phoning it in. The champion is 6-0 inside the Octagon, with two finishes and two “Fight of the Night” bonuses. Is Aldo producing the same results he produced in the WEC? No, but the competition by which he has been confronted has made that next to impossible. Has he taken off a handful of rounds in two or three fights? Yes, after three and a half rounds of solid production, he tends to slow down. Could the 28-year-old maintain a more fan-friendly pace in fights that reach the judges? Sure, but I am no ready to paint him in negative light just yet.

SECOND IMPRESSION: Davis will look to go 3-0 in Rio de Janeiro when he meets Teixeira in a pivotal light heavyweight battle. Not long ago, the onetime Penn State University wrestler was enjoying a three-fight winning streak that included a contentious decision over former champion Lyoto Machida. Davis was settling into a contender’s position, waiting for Jones to finish business with Teixeira, Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson. Along the way, he squandered his momentum and fell to Johnson at UFC 172 in Baltimore. Davis looked awkward and at times fearful of Johnson on the feet. The NCAA champion wrestler could not find the takedown and spent the bulk of the bout tentatively avoiding Johnson, weary of his power. Teixeira can mimic Johnson’s sprawl and power striking. It would do wonders for Davis if he can prove he can handle a powerful striker and erase the memory of his performance against Johnson.

SAY WHAT: Mendes is not happy carrying the promotional load in his second UFC headliner. He has potential pay-per-view points on the line and an undercard that does not move the needle.

Playing devil’s advocate: What draws more attention to UFC 179, Mendes talking or Aldo’s presence as a champion and pound-for-pound mainstay? Mendes used a comparison to a certain crustacean to get his point across: “I can’t carry this whole fight on my back. I need some help selling the damn thing. I want to punch you in the face. Do you want to punch me in the face? Tell us what you want to do. That’s him being a hermit crab in Brazil.”

USELESS FACT: According to FightMetric figures, Aldo’s average fight time (20:20) ranks as the longest in UFC history for fighters with a minimum of five Octagon appearances.

AWARDS WATCH: Two intriguing lightweight prospects open the main card, as Carlos Diego Ferreira faces Iranian-born Beneil Dariush. They share Ramsey Nijem as a common opponent. Ferreira knocked out Nijem, while Nijem knocked out Dariush. If MMA math holds, Ferreira will win a fun one and earn a performance bonus in the process ... As discussed previously, Teixeira is a horrendous matchup for Davis at 205 pounds. The Brazilian should be able to stay upright and batter the American on his way to a bonus ... Aldo is the best featherweight in MMA history, but the gap between the champion and the rest of the division is closing.

Guys like Mendes, Swanson, McGregor, Bermudez and others figure to make his next six UFC fights much tougher than his first six. Pencil in the main event as a competitive “Fight of the Night” winner.