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UFC 264 takes place this weekend, and in the main event, one of the biggest UFC rivalries in recent memory will end as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier face off in their trilogy fight.
There have been plenty of memorable trilogies in the UFC over the years, but could we see even more major ones in the future?
The answer is almost certainly yes. The UFC loves to build rivalries into trilogies, and right now, several feuds have already seen one or two battles in the octagon and could quickly escalate.
So with this in mind, here are five UFC rivalries that could turn into trilogies.
#5 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – UFC flyweight title
Only one of the UFC’s memorable trilogies featured a fight that went to a draw. That was the rivalry between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, which saw a wild second fight end with honors even at UFC 125 in 2011.
That could change in the near future if the rivalry between current UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and former champ Deiveson Figueiredo is granted a third bout.
The two men first faced off at UFC 256 in December 2020, and although Figueiredo clearly got the better of his Mexican opponent, a series of fouls meant that referee Jason Herzog was forced to deduct a point from him.
That point was enough to allow Moreno to squeeze out a draw, and that – along with the high quality of the fight – meant the UFC were willing to book an immediate rematch.
That rematch, at UFC 263, saw Moreno stun everyone by dominating ‘The God of War’ en route to a third-round submission win.
However, in the weeks that have followed, Figueiredo has blamed a bad weight cut for the loss. And while he has hinted at a future move to 135lbs, he has also called for the trilogy between him and Moreno to be completed.
And given that the UFC’s flyweight division doesn’t really have another clear-cut top contender right now, it seems highly likely that this rivalry could see a trilogy bout very soon, perhaps even before the end of 2021.
#4 Francis Ngannou vs. Curtis Blaydes – UFC heavyweight title
The UFC rarely looks to book trilogies between fighters if the first two meetings end the same way, and so on the face of it, a third bout between UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes might feel unlikely.
However, there are several reasons why that may not be the case.
Firstly, while the first two fights between Ngannou and 'Razor' ended in the same way – with 'The Predator's' hand raised – it's probably fair to suggest Blaydes might take umbrage with his losses.
Their first fight took place way back in early 2016 and was Blaydes' UFC debut. 'Razor' didn't do badly against Ngannou at all and was only stopped when the cageside doctor decided to pull him out due to swelling around his eye.
And while Ngannou won their second meeting by knockout, there were plenty of observers – including Blaydes – who felt that referee Marc Goddard might've stepped in a little too early, with 'Razor' possibly able to continue.
Secondly, the UFC’s heavyweight division is such that once Ngannou faces the winner of the upcoming Ciryl Gane/Derrick Lewis clash, there isn’t a clear-cut top contender, assuming he retains his title.
That means that Blaydes - who holds wins over Alexander Volkov, Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem – could quickly find himself back in title contention if he can defeat Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 266.
Sure, the UFC isn’t exactly enamored with Blaydes, meaning his path to a potential trilogy fight with Ngannou might be tricky. However, if both men keep winning, then a third bout between the two is practically inevitable.
#3 Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker – UFC middleweight title
Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former champ Robert Whittaker have only fought once thus far, with ‘The Last Stylebender’ ending Whittaker’s title reign via knockout at UFC 243.
However, with a second bout between the two looming, an epic trilogy between these two fighters seems almost inevitable.
It’s clear at this stage that Adesanya is the best middleweight in the UFC by some distance. He has overcome every challenge thrown at him thus far into his career and holds wins over Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero and Marvin Vettori.
But despite knocking Whittaker out when they fought in October 2019, it’s likely that ‘The Reaper’ is the only man in the division who possesses the skills to push ‘The Last Stylebender.’
Whittaker has always been a fighter capable of adapting to any situation, and we saw him display a much more patient and measured approach in his victories over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier in 2020.
That approach could pay dividends in his likely rematch with Adesanya – a fight that, with any luck, should take place in late 2021.
Adesanya may well win the rematch, meaning a third fight between him and Whittaker would potentially be unlikely. But given Whittaker’s skill level, there’s every chance that even in losing, he pushes Adesanya harder than anyone has done before.
The dearth of other contenders right now – largely due to the dominance of both Adesanya and Whittaker – means that a trilogy bout between the two could still be likely.
Also read:: UFC's Phil Hawes predicts Adesanya vs Whittaker 2
#2 Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC bantamweight title
Given that they have a total of 12 successful UFC title defenses between them, it’s probably fair to say that UFC bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes and UFC flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko are the most dominant female fighters in UFC history.
And that’s why – despite their first two meetings ending in Nunes’ favor – a third bout between these two UFC legends could still be on the cards.
Nunes has her next title defense lined up. She’s set to face Julianna Pena for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 265. Shevchenko, meanwhile, defeated Jessica Andrade to defend her title at UFC 261.
Both women stand head and shoulders above the other fighters in their respective divisions, and the only real challenge for them could be one another.
It’s not like the first two fights between them were whitewashes, after all. Their first bout, at UFC 196 in 2016, saw Nunes take the first two rounds before Shevchenko came back in the third but couldn’t overhaul her deficit.
Their rematch at UFC 215 in 2017 was even closer, with Nunes being awarded a split decision that could easily have gone the other way on a different night.
That fight wasn’t very entertaining to watch, which probably explains the UFC’s reluctance to book a third bout in the four years that have followed. But if both women keep winning, developing their rivalry into a trilogy will be something that the UFC simply can’t ignore.
#1 Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
It’s probably safe to say that despite it not involving a UFC title, a trilogy bout between superstars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz would be arguably the most highly anticipated fight in UFC history.
Simply put, McGregor and Diaz have managed to transcend the UFC and its titles. Both men can – and have – easily overshadowed UFC title bouts during their tenure with the promotion, and a third fight between the two would stand a good chance of breaking the UFC’s pay-per-view buy rate record.
Incredibly, the first fight between the two – which headlined UFC 196 in 2016 – wasn’t originally supposed to happen.
Diaz stepped in on late notice to replace the injured Rafael dos Anjos. In a bizarre situation that saw the UFC’s then-featherweight champ McGregor move up to 170lbs, Diaz became the first man to beat ‘The Notorious’ in the octagon.
UFC 196 ended up surprising everyone by drawing over a million buys on pay-per-view, and the UFC naturally capitalized on the interest by booking an immediate rematch at UFC 202 five months later.
The rematch was a much closer fight and was also among the greatest five-round epics. McGregor came out on top in a tight decision, but it was clear that nothing was fully resolved between the two.
If anything, it’s a surprise that the UFC haven’t booked the trilogy bout between the two already, but with both men now firmly back in the fold and active once again, it seems highly likely that they’ll face off for a third time in the near future.
