'UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2' official for Rio's Maracanazinho Gymnasium

As expected UFC 179, which already boasts a pair of intriguing co-headliners, is set for Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanazinho Gymnasium.

UFC officials recently made the venue official.

UFC 179 takes place Oct. 25. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Maracanazinho Gymnasium, which traditionally has a seating capacity of approximately 12,500, plays host to its first UFC event. Although the UFC has hosted four previous events in Rio, the city’s HSBC Arena was the venue of choice for the shows. Its best attendance figure came in 2012 with UFC 153 (Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar), which drew an announced crowd of 16,844.

Despite the smaller venue, UFC 179 already boasts a solid card, which includes a Brazilian in each co-headliner.

In the main event, Brazilian star and long-reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) rematches Chad Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who heads to Brazil for a second time to try to take the belt. Aldo is ranked No. 1 and Mendes is No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings.

In the co-headliner, Brazilian vet and No. 6-ranked Glover Teixeira (22-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on fellow light heavyweight and No. 7-ranked Phil Davis (12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more on UFC 179, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Jose Aldo)