UFC 136: 4 Trilogies That Need to Happen After Edgar-Maynard

This weekend will host UFC 136, one of the most anticipated cards of the year, headlined by a third bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and No. 1 contender Gray Maynard.

They last fought to draw at UFC 125 where Edgar looked to be all but out in the first round after a barrage of punches from the challenger. Edgar survived getting dropped three times to fight back and earn a draw while retaining his title.

Edgar is 0-1-1 against the challenger, and they will fight for the third time this Saturday.

It has been a while since the UFC has featured a third bout between two fighters. Some of the more famous trilogy fights the Octagon has hosted include Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture and the third bout between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.

These are four trilogies we would like to see in the near future.

No. 4: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

In this battle of Ultimate Fighter 1 finalists, Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin met to determine who would win the six-figure contract and move on into the UFC's upper echelon of stars.

Griffin edged Bonnar, in arguably the most important fight in UFC history, after three rounds and won a unanimous decision.

The fight was so good that Dana White awarded both fighters a six-figure contract.

The rematch would happen a year later at UFC 62. It was an easier fight for Griffin this time around but still a fun one to watch. His improved striking was enough to keep Bonnar at bay for the majority of the bout to win him the decision.

Even though Griffin is 2-0 against "The American Psycho," fans would easily welcome a third bout between the two—both of whom will always be in the UFC.

No. 3: Dennis Hallman vs. Matt Hughes

Beating Matt Hughes is hard enough, but to do it twice in under a minute is almost impossible. Dennis Hallman pulled it off in his two fights with the UFC Hall of Famer in 1998 and 2000.

In a career of over 60 bouts, Hallman got the best victories of his career before Matt Hughes was ever a contender for the UFC welterweight championship.

Their first bout ended in 17 seconds after Hallman submitted Hughes. Their second one lasted four seconds longer as Hallman was able to submit him with an armbar 21 seconds into the rematch.

Neither fighter has many fights left, but this is one fans could get behind, especially if it's Hughes' final bout.

No. 2: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

Former UFC heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar fought twice in 2008 and 2009. Their second bout headlined the epic UFC 100 event.

They are both 1-1 against each other with convincing victories both ways.

Mir won the first fight in under two minutes when he was able to catch Lesnar in a kneebar, forcing the former WWE superstar to tap only two fights into his career.

When they met again in July, 2009, Lesnar was now UFC heavyweight champion and more confident than ever. He had an easy time in beating up Mir to win by TKO in the second round.

Lesnar sits at 5-2 in his career, and it would be impressive to see him take on Mir for a third time and beat him with under 10 bouts.

For Mir, it gives him the chance to show the second fight was just another bump in the road in his well-documented career.

No. 1: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

Through two weight divisions, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber fought twice and went 1-1 against each other over four years.

Their first fight was fought in 2007 at WEC 26. Faber defended his featherweight title with a first round submission win over Cruz, who only had one training camp up until that point in his career.

Cruz would go 8-0 over the next four years until they met again—this time in the UFC and with Cruz holding the 135 pound title.

Over five rounds, the two put on one of the more entertaining fights of the year and gave fans a fight to remember. The closely contested bout left Cruz walking away with a unanimous decision after five rounds.

A third match could be more marketable than the first two, and it's one that could help solidify both fighters' positions as the all-time best of the lighter fighters.