USA TODAY: UFC's Velasquez-dos Santos trilogy should be special

(This story originally appeared on usatoday.com and in Gannett newspapers.)

When you’ve already fought a man twice and it still isn’t enough to determine who is better, you know you’ve got something special on your hands.

You also know you’re in for at least one more tough night of work.

That’s the situation for UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (12-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and former champ Junior dos Santos (16-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) after their victories at UFC 160 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The two heavyweights who have traded the UFC title back and forth over the last two years both put on impressive performances – dos Santos knocked out hard-hitting kickboxer Mark Hunt in the co-main event, while Velasquez earned a TKO stoppage of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a rematch of their 2012 bout – setting up what could be the UFC’s best title fight trilogy since, well, ever.

“No-brainer,” UFC President Dana White said at the post-fight press conference, when asked whether Velasquez-dos Santos III would be the next UFC heavyweight title fight. “If there was ever a trilogy, that’s it right there. If you look at the way both fights went – Junior destroys (Velasquez) in the first fight, Cain destroys (dos Santos) in the second fight – I can’t wait to see the third fight.”

White’s not alone there. Title fight trilogies aren’t at all unheard of in the UFC, but rarely have we seen one that seemed this competitive or this necessary. The last time two heavyweights squared off for the belt more than twice was in 2006, when Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski battled it out three times with diminishing returns, all while the UFC struggled to find fresh contenders.

Fast forward seven years, and the UFC heavyweight division is deeper than ever. A lack of quality opponents is the last thing the champion needs to worry about these days, so why are the same two guys set to go at it yet again?

Because, as White put it, “They’re the two best heavyweights in the world. That’s the fight.”

Especially after dos Santos’ performance at UFC 160, that statement is tough to argue with. Velasquez did what was expected of him, finishing off an overmatched Silva with even greater ease (and considerably less blood) than the first time they fought in May 2012, but it was dos Santos who went above and beyond against Hunt.

Clearly up on the scorecards and cruising to a decision victory in the final round, the ex-champ took a chance on a flashy spinning kick that clipped Hunt on the forehead, dropping him to the mat and setting up the final knockout blow. After the fight, dos Santos said he’d never tried the kick in competition before. The fact that he was willing to risk it in search of a finish instead of running out the clock demonstrated just how hungry he is for a rubber match with Velasquez.

Even without the finish, dos Santos probably would have gotten his wish. But in becoming only the second fighter to knock out the notoriously hard-headed Hunt in an MMA bout, dos Santos overshadowed Velasquez’s win in the main event. Instead of putting himself in a situation where White and the UFC had to give him a title shot, he made it so they couldn’t wait to. Instead of setting up a trilogy that feels like it has to happen just so we can move on, he set the stage for one we really want to see.

The UFC has had its share of trilogies over the years. It just hasn’t had many like this. Then again, it hasn’t had many fighters like Velasquez and dos Santos, either. At least not at the same time, and in the same division. Maybe the question we should be asking ourselves after their first two battles is, will three times be enough?

For full coverage of UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez)