5 trilogy fights that the UFC should avoid booking

#4. Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker – UFC middleweight title

Robert Whittaker might be the world's second-best middleweight, but a third shot at Israel Adesanya wouldn't be right at the moment

In a similar vein to Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in the welterweight division, it’s hard to dispute the idea that the UFC’s top two middleweights right now, by some distance, are champion Israel Adesanya and former titleholder Robert Whittaker.

The two men have already faced off in the octagon twice, with Adesanya knocking out ‘The Reaper’ to claim the gold back in October 2019.

Interestingly, the promotion did not give Whittaker an instant rematch. When the Aussie defeated Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, it was impossible not to give him another crack at ‘The Last Stylebender’.

However, while their second bout, which went down earlier this year, was closer than the first and went the distance, it was clear that once again, Adesanya was the better fighter.

Could Whittaker, theoretically at least, earn himself another shot at the champ? It’s definitely possible. ‘The Reaper’ is set to face Marvin Vettori in June and with the Italian ranked at No.3 in the division right now, there could be an argument for handing Whittaker a third fight with Adesanya.

However, although he’s clearly the second-best middleweight out there right now, we basically know he can’t beat ‘The Last Stylebender’, something that can’t be said for fighters like Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira.

Hence, the promotion would be better off using Whittaker in fights with other fallen contenders like Paulo Costa, rather than booking an unnecessary trilogy between him and the champ.

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#3. Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC heavyweight title

Stipe Miocic could get badly hurt in a third fight with Francis Ngannou

Right now, it doesn’t look likely that Francis Ngannou will be facing anyone in the octagon in the near future. Not only has ‘The Predator’ been sidelined thanks to knee surgery, but he’s also on the outs with the UFC and may choose to move on from the promotion altogether.

However, if he does return to continue his reign as heavyweight champion, one fight that might intrigue the promotion would be a trilogy bout with former kingpin Stipe Miocic.

Booking this fight would give Ngannou a chance to avenge one of the two losses he’s suffered in his career. It’d arguably also be fair to Miocic, who never received a rematch with the Cameroonian fighter despite his position as the most successful heavyweight in UFC history.

While it might make sense for this trilogy to happen if Miocic were to win his next fight, then, if you look at it from another point of view, it’s a horrible idea.

Miocic was a great champion and remains one of the most decorated heavyweights of all time, but he’s set to turn 40 years old this summer. His last fight with Ngannou, which took place in early 2021, saw him knocked out in truly scary fashion.

When you also consider that Miocic suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Daniel Cormier in 2018 and went through hell to beat Ngannou in their initial bout, quite how much more damage he can afford to take is anyone’s guess.

So, for the good of the former champion’s health, this ought to be a potential trilogy bout the UFC should avoid.