The rubber match has a prized place in the heart of most combat sport fans.
Normally, it means a third serving of that wonderful meal that left us in love with the cooks in the first place, a sublime indulgence of the vicarious.
Some incredible trilogies have taken place in combat sports, both boxing and MMA: Barrera vs. Morales, Couture vs. Liddell, Ali vs. Frazier, Silva vs. Jackson, Marquez vs. Pacquiao, Gatti vs. Ward and so on.
A great trilogy is like being in storm country, with a privileged eye to the exact spot and time that lightning might strike next.
So, you may ask, given all of this, why on earth is the rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin necessary, especially with no divisional ramifications attached?
Read on and find out.