(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

RIO DE JANEIRO – UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is one of the most dominant titleholders the promotion has ever seen.

And yet for the first time in his five-year reign as the best 145-pound fighter on the planet, there’s a line of contenders waiting to take him out.

“The featherweight division is going off right now,” UFC President Dana White tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie. “It’s a good problem to have. ‘Oh my God, there’s too many guys that could fight for the title!’ That’s a great problem to have.”

First up for Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is a rematch with Chad Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) at Saturday’s “UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes 2” event, which takes place at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanazinho Gymnasium and airs on pay-per-view (10 p.m. ET).

The contest serves as a rematch of the pair’s January 2012 meeting, which the Brazilian champ won by first-round knockout. But Mendes has since earned five-straight wins, including four by knockout, to earn another shot at the belt. On paper, Mendes seems to be a vastly improved fighter, and the Team Alpha Male standout believes he’s considerably more prepared the second time around.

“I had huge holes in my game,” Mendes says of their first meeting. “There was still a lot of learning to do.

“I was pretty raw the first time we fought, and it’s obvious to people that know mixed martial arts. I feel like I’ve closed the gaps on those holes, and it’s made my confidence get a lot bigger, and I feel a lot more comfortable getting in there and doing it. I think people are starting to realize that.”

Throughout Aldo’s title run, identifying immediate challengers hasn’t necessarily been a struggle. However, building a consistent line of obvious next steps has been difficult; Aldo has so consistently dominated his opposition, it was often a struggle to build up a lineup of true contenders in the division.

That’s no longer the case.

Brash Irishman Conor McGregor (16-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) also has made the trip to Brazil, and he’ll be sitting cageside for Saturday’s event. With four impressive wins in the UFC, not to mention an even more impressive gift of gab, McGregor has quickly elevated himself to top-contender status.

Mendes said he’s not surprised McGregor, who’s expected to fight Dennis Siver (22-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at a Jan. 18 event in Boston, was invited to the event.

“It’s something I expected,” Mendes says. “The guy’s got a huge hype train. He’s talking his way all the way up to the top, so he can sit there on Saturday night and watch. I’m going to get in there and I’m going to win, and I’m going to whip that dude’s (butt) next.”

But November’s UFC Fight Night 57 event also sees Cub Swanson (21-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC), ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, face Frankie Edgar (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC), who’s No. 4. The winner would certainly have a rightful claim to a title shot, but McGregor may still have the inside track.

“In the fight world, I think it should be the winner of (Edgar vs. Swanson), but in the entertainment world, (McGregor) is getting it next,” Mendes said. “He’s bringing in big bucks for the UFC. He’s selling fights. He’s good at it, and that’s just the way it goes. I’ve learned that over the years.”

November’s UFC 180 event also hosts a key fight at 145 pounds when No. 5 Ricardo Lamas (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) faces No. 6 Dennis Bermudez (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC).

In short, the division features more legitimate contenders than ever before, and while Aldo has to date turned away all challengers, there are more big fights on the table for him than ever before, including a long-discussed and once-planned bout with UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

“If Jose Aldo wins a couple more fights, we were talking about him fighting Anthony Pettis,” White said. “That fight could happen. Anything is possible.”

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