5 UFC rivalries that could turn into trilogies in the near future
Next weekend sees the UFC’s latest trilogy come to a conclusion as Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo face off for the flyweight crown. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are likely to complete their trilogy in the near future, too.
It’s a well-known fact that the UFC loves to book trilogies in order to maximize the big rivalries between their fighters. With that said, could there be more trilogies set to come in the near future?
Exhibit B:
McGregor vs Diaz II 🤯
One of the greatest fights we've ever seen in the Octagon.
We want the trilogy 😭
https://t.co/nZZHYdYFBG
The answer is almost certainly yes, should the promotion look to go down that route, of course. In fact, some of the potential trilogies we may see in the octagon in the near future may even end up being for a title, too.
With that considered, here are 5 UFC rivalries that could turn into trilogies in the near future.
#5. Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – UFC welterweight title
Kamaru Usman has already defeated Colby Covington twice. He knocked him out and seemingly broke his jaw in late 2019 in their first meeting, before beating him on the scorecards last November. On the surface at least, a trilogy between these two bitter rivals seems unlikely.
However, given the nature of their rivalry and the current state of the welterweight division, there’s definitely a chance that the two stars could face off again in the future.
Usman has essentially been knocking off contenders at a ludicrous rate ever since becoming UFC welterweight champion in 2019. In less than three years he’s already defended his title on five occasions.
Sure, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ still has a number of potential opponents in the division, proven names like Leon Edwards and up-and-comers like Khamzat Chimaev. However, there’s no guarantee that any of them will actually make it to a fight with Usman.
Covington, on the other hand, has already shown that he’s perhaps the second-best fighter in the division. He pushed Usman to the limit in their second meeting, with some fans believing he deserved the nod from the judges.
Therefore, there’s every chance that ‘Chaos’ could knock off one or two contenders and find himself back at the front of the queue for another shot at the champion.
If that were the case, then, given that the hatchet has not yet been buried between Usman and Covington, even if there’s clearly mutual respect there, a third fight between them might be too tricky for the UFC to resist booking.