Smartest Guy at the Bar: UFC on Fox 19 Edition

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has used Florida as a stage for Fox-televised events on two previous occasions. Fabricio Werdum stylishly bypassed Travis Browne on his way to the heavyweight title two years ago in Orlando; and Rafael dos Anjos retained his 155-pound crown by sending Donald Cerrone home in 66 seconds in December. Weighty lightweight championship implications for the UFC on Fox 19 main event this Saturday at the Amalie Arena in Tampa went out the window with an injury to Tony Ferguson. The attention has instead shifted to 205 pounds, where a former champion and a former title challenger find themselves in search of brighter days in The Sunshine State. This is UFC on Fox 19 “Teixeira vs. Evans,” through the lens of the Smartest Guy at the Bar:

HOW WE GOT HERE: Undisclosed injury has become a common phrase in mixed martial arts. In Ferguson’s case, the injury preventing him from fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in a No. 1 contender fight in the originally scheduled main event is both disclosed and alarming. “El Cucuy” was forced to withdraw due to a collapsed lung. The 32-year-old hoped Nurmagomedov would agree to a later May date for their bout, but “The Eagle” opted to keep his Florida fight trip intact without Ferguson. Nurmagomedov has been plagued by injury himself -- he dropped out of a fight with Ferguson in December -- so by the time he competes, he will have been out of competition for 727 days. It’s easy to see why the undefeated 27-year-old decided to go forth after being sidelined for so long, not that his sound reasoning sits well with Ferguson. An opponent who was scheduled to meet Nurmagomedov once upon a time -- “Cowboy” Cerrone -- volunteered to save the main event by bumping it to 170 pounds. The fight failed to materialize despite both parties expressing their desire for it on Twitter. Even with Nurmagomedov having been on the sidelines for two years, those lining up to fight him remain few and far between. Thus, the UFC had to settle on unknown Octagon newcomer Darrell Horcher. It keeps Nurmagomedov on the card against a Bellator MMA veteran at a 160-pound catchweight, although the UFC brass decided the name recognition possessed by light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira was worth slotting into the headlining spot thanks to the Ferguson’s exit.

FINAL ACT AHEAD: Two 36-year-olds with failed title bids against Jon Jones comprise the new main event. Evans knocked out Forrest Griffin to become light heavyweight champ to close 2008. He climbed up the ranks on a four-fight winning streak, until former teammate Jones -- he had displaced Evans from Greg Jackson’s New Mexico-based camp and led him to set up shop with the Blackzilians -- shut out “Suga” for 25 minutes in 2012. Shortly after, Teixeira made his long-awaited debut in the UFC and finished four of five opponents on his way to challenging Jones. “Bones” skunked the Brazilian for five rounds in April 2014. Phil Davis contributed to a winless year for Teixeira back then, but the soft-spoken heavy hitter has rebounded with back-to-back stoppages of Ovince St. Preux and Patrick Cummins. Thanks to out-of-competition indiscretions that resulted in Jones being stripped of his title and allowed Daniel Cormier to become champion, the light heavyweight division is open in a way it had not been while “Bones” was ruling it. Along with Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, the Evans-Teixeira winner can position himself in line once the Cormier-Jones rivalry settles. Evans launched his career in Florida in a way, as his head kick knockout against Sean Salmon made him a permanent fixture on UFC highlight reels and helped him graduate to main-event status. He can appear inspired for the first time in four years by preventing Teixeira from a third consecutive victory, while a loss might represent the final chapter for him. The momentum is firmly in Teixeira’s corner, and a decisive win over Evans could position the Brazilian for a No. 1 contender bout this year if things break his way.

HOW THE EAGLE SOARS: The last time fans witnessed Nurmagomedov apply his sambo in the Octagon, he was stifling dos Anjos on Fox. Of course, dos Anjos went on a tear and won five straight fights en route to capturing and defending the UFC lightweight title. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, could not stay healthy enough to fight again. Horcher answers the tough call to face Nurmagomedov after back-to-back third-round stoppages on the regional circuit in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “The Saint” is only 28 years old and riding a five-fight winning streak since suffering his only career defeat to Phillipe Nover in Bellator. No one has been able to capitalize on Nurmagomedov’s weaknesses since he entered the UFC. What does Horcher have going for him? He has a nothing-to-lose mentality going into the fight, while Nurmagomedov faces an uphill climb after a two-year absence cost him his spot as the top contender at 155 pounds. It is a high-risk, low-reward return bout for Nurmagomedov, so “The Eagle” must soar just as high as he soared in his six previous UFC performances or face criticisms about how he lost a step while on the sidelines.

STRAWS THAT STIR THE DRINK: Perhaps the most compelling fight on the main card is the strawweight battle between American Top Team’s Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas. Torres went 2-0 during her 2015 campaign, going the distance in wins over Angela Hill and Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger. Namajunas posted the same record, her stock elevated by a pair of rear-naked choke submissions. That two-fight run saw her bloody budding star Paige VanZant before tapping her in the fifth round of their UFC Fight Night headliner in December. Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha are booked for a rematch at “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale this summer. Torres would move to 4-0 in the UFC with a win, while Namajunas would avenge her only pre-UFC loss by defeating “The Tiny Tornado.” The winner will emerge as the best challenger for Jedrzejczyk or Gadelha at 115 pounds.

AWARDS WATCH: “Fight of the Night” at lightweight goes to Michael Chiesa and Beneil Dariush, as their clash will be good enough for an extra $50,000. Nurmagomedov and Namajunas always fight like they have chips on their shoulders -- a stellar recipe for “Performance of the Night” bonuses.

Danny Acosta is a SiriusXM Rush (Channel 93) host and contributor. His writing has been featured on Sherdog.com for nearly a decade. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @acostaislegend.