Tomorrow night at UFC 270, we will be watching something we’ve never seen before in the co-main event. We will be watching a trilogy for the flyweight title between the former champion Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1) and the current champion Brandon Moreno (19-5-2).
Now, we’ve seen trilogies before in the UFC. Some of the more memorable ones include Daniel Cormier – Stipe Miocic, Georges St. Pierre – Matt Hughes, and Randy Couture – Chuck Liddell. Those trilogies, like this one, centered around a UFC championship.
However, tomorrow night’s trilogy is different in one specific way. Unlike any trilogy we’ve seen before in the UFC, the Moreno – Figueiredo trilogy will be the first time where all three fights have taken place back-to-back-to-back. Never before have all three fights happened in succession.
However, it’s not just historic that reason. There is an outcome at UFC 270 which would set up even more history. That outcome would require a victory from the former champion. If Deiveson Figueiredo recaptures the flyweight title, we will be setup for something truly special.
UFC’s first four-fight series?
If Figueiredo gets his hand raised at UFC 270, the trilogy will have seen a different outcome for all three fights. The first fight being a draw while Moreno and Figueiredo split the second and third. There is only one other trilogy that comes to mind with that specific set of outcomes.
The trilogy I’m thinking of is Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar. However, their series halted after the third fight and their first fight wasn’t for the title. If Figueiredo wins at UFC 270, we will be set up for a fourth fight between these two men and that’s something we have never seen before.
In boxing, we’ve seen series that go to four fights. However, the UFC has never seen a championship series go beyond a trilogy. We could be on the cusp of that tomorrow night. In my official prediction/preview, I picked Figueiredo to recapture the flyweight championship.
If that prediction comes to pass, we are going to see a fourth fight between these two men. The only way this rivalry ends at UFC 270 is if Brandon Moreno hears Bruce Buffer say, “And Still”.