'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Conor McGregor is set to face Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout at UFC 264. Both fighters have knockout wins against each other. Their first fight took place in September 2014 at UFC 178. The Irishman stood tall as the winner at the end of the fight as he knocked out Poirier in the opening round.
In their second encounter at UFC 257, 'The Diamond' took his revenge as he finished McGregor in the second round of their rematch. This was the Irishman's first TKO loss of his MMA career.
Now the two fighters are set to face each other again in a third fight, which will provide a conclusive end to this rivalry.
That takes us to the topic of trilogy fights. Some iconic trilogies have taken place in the UFC, like Cain Velasques vs Junior dos Santos, Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Hughes and Urijah Faber vs Dominick Cruz.
One thing about trilogies is that it gives fans a definitive answer as to who is superior among the two fighters involved. On that note, let's take a look at five UFC trilogy fights that could take place in the near future:
#5 TJ Dillashaw vs Cody Grabrandt
The rivalry between former UFC champions TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbandt is a classic friends-turned-foe story. The two fighters were teammates at Team Alpha Male. Dillashaw then left the team to train with Duane Ludwig.
That did not sit well with Urijah Faber and Cody Garbrandt, and unsavory words were exchanged by both sides.
The two bantamweights faced off for the first time at UFC 217. The 35-year-old Dillashaw emerged victorious after he knocked out 'No Love' in the second round of the fight. Their second fight had a similar ending, with Dillashaw finishing Garbrandt in the opening round at UFC 227.
Garbrandt is going through a rough patch in his career, as the 29-year-old has lost four of his last five fights. Dillashaw, meanwhile, is coming off a two-year suspension to fight Cory Sandhagen in a five-round main event on July 24.
If the 35-year-old loses his fight against Cory Sandhagen, there is a chance he might possibly face 'No Love' in his next fight.
#4 UFC champion Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno have electrified the UFC's 125-pound division by putting on two amazing fights back-to-back for the flyweight title.
Their first encounter at UFC 256 was a solid 'Fight of the Year' contender, as both fighters slugged it out for five tough rounds. The bout ended in a majority draw, with 'Deus De Guerra' getting deducted a point for landing an illegal blow on Moreno.
The two were scheduled for a rematch at UFC 263. In the build-up to their fight, many MMA pundits predicted an easy victory for the Brazilian fighter. But Moreno pulled off an amazing win as he submitted Figueiredo in the third round via a rear-naked choke. With the win, Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in the UFC.
With a win in his next fight, 'Deus De Guerra' could easily set himself up for another shot at the title. So there is a very strong chance that we might see the two 125-pounders slug it out for a third time in the octagon.
#3 UFC champion Francis Ngannou vs Stipe Miocic
Francis Ngannou finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to be crowned the heavyweight king of the UFC. The fight showed that 'The Predator' had grown by leaps and bounds, as he corrected his mistakes from his first encounter with Miocic and knocked out the Ohio fighter in the second round of the fight.
In the first fight, Miocic completely outclassed the Cameroonian fighter for five rounds and cruised to a unanimous decision victory, with all the three judges scoring the fight 50-44 in Miocic's favor. Both fighters now stand at 1-1 against each other.
There is no clear contender lined up for Ngannou right now. Derick Lewis and Ciryl Gane will face each other for the interim heavyweight title.
Miocic is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight fighters to ever grace the sport. If the 38-year-old manages to come back and secure a win over a top contender, there is a chance we might see a trilogy bout between Ngannou and Miocic.
#2 UFC champion Amanda Nunes vs UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko
UFC fans have been asking for a third fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko for a long time. Shevchenko is currently reigning over the flyweight division, while Nunes holds two belts simultaneously, doing so in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the UFC.
The two women first fought at UFC 196, where 'The Lioness' defeated Shevchenko via unanimous decision.
In her next fight, Nunes captured UFC gold as she defeated Miesha Tate via submission at UFC 200. Shevchenko also bounced back from the loss with back-to-back wins over Holly Holm and Julianna Pena.
Nunes and Shevchenko met again at UFC 215, this time with the bantamweight title on the line. 'Bullet' gave the Brazilian fighter a much tougher fight but eventually lost via split decision, as the three judges scored the contest 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in Nunes' favor.
Now, both fighters have cleared out their respective divisions. The 'Bullet' has been Nunes' toughest opponent so far. So it makes perfect sense to put the two fighters inside the octagon for a third time.
#1 Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor
Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor is one of the most iconic rivalries to take place in the UFC. Diaz gave the Irishman the first loss of his UFC career by submitting him at UFC 196.
'The Notorious' came back and put on a far better performance in the rematch to eke out a majority decision victory. These were two of the most exciting fights witnessed by MMA fans. Even the trash-talk and antics in the build-up to the two fights were entertaining.
Nate Diaz recently stole the show at UFC 263 when he landed a clean shot on Leon Edwards that wobbled 'Rocky'.
Today, both fighters are UFC stars with huge fan followings. A trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz could turn out to be the biggest PPV event in UFC history.
Also Read: 3 reasons why Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 2 is one of the best UFC fights ever
