5 UFC rivalries that could turn into trilogies in the near future

#2. Francis Ngannou vs. Curtis Blaydes – UFC heavyweight title

Curtis Blaydes may still be a genuine threat to Francis Ngannou's UFC heavyweight title

It’s probably safe to say that 2021 wasn’t the best year for UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes. After getting into somewhat of a spat with Dana White, ‘Razor’ was knocked out by Derrick Lewis, essentially ruining his hopes of gaining a shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

Since then, however, Blaydes has beaten highly-ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik in impressive fashion. With wins over the likes of Alexander Volkov and Alistair Overeem already under his belt, it’s possible that he could move back to the front of the queue in the near future.

If he can manage that, then there’s every chance he’ll have the opportunity to settle the score with current heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou.

‘The Predator’ stopped Blaydes on two occasions prior to winning his title in 2021. He beat him via doctor's stoppage in 2016 and then knocked him out in 2018.

However, given Blaydes’ wrestling power and improved stand-up, there’s no guarantee that Ngannou would take him out so easily in a third bout between the two. In fact, at the age of 30, Blaydes may not yet have reached his physical prime.

If Ngannou can get past interim champ Ciryl Gane this month and ends up staying with the UFC for the foreseeable future, Blaydes may well end up being his next challenger. That would given the relatively-young heavyweight a shot at avenging two of the biggest losses of his career thus far.

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#1. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz

Fans have been clamouring for the trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz for years now

Naturally, the biggest possible trilogy bout that the UFC might end up turning to in the near future would be the long-awaited third clash between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.

In a lot of respects, it’s baffling that the promotion hasn’t at least attempted to book this fight already. Their first two meetings, which took place in 2016, drew two of the biggest buyrates in UFC history. It’s clear from their social media exchanges since that nothing has truly been settled.

That’s probably because unlike some of the potential trilogies on this list, McGregor and Diaz split their two fights. Diaz submitted ‘The Notorious’ in their first clash and the Irishman avenged the loss, albeit by a tight decision, in their rematch.

Were McGregor still in the thick of the lightweight title picture, then perhaps holding off on the bout would make sense. However, in reality, neither man is at their peak right now, so cashing in on the fight would probably be a good idea for the UFC.

Diaz is on the final bout of his current contract, meaning the promotion would be risking him walking away with a win over McGregor if the fight were to go that way. However, it’s already been proven that the drawing power of ‘The Notorious’ isn’t affected by losing.

Essentially, this rivalry needs to come to an end at some point and so hopefully we’ll be treated to a resolution in the near future.