UFC 148 - Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin (02:30 BST)

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by Crunch Sports Staff

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Tito Ortiz (L) battles Forrest Griffin (R) during their Light Heavyweight Fight at the UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 21, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada (credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Former UFC Light Heavyweight champions Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin clash tonight in the semi-main event at UFC 148.

UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Griffin the odds-on favourite to be victorious.

These two fighters have met on two previous occasions, winning once each. In their first meeting, Griffin was the better fighter but ended up on the wrong end of a split decision, while in the rematch, Ortiz was arguably the superior of the two, but he came out as the loser via split decision.

Tonight's rubber match will hopefully end with the better fighter coming out on top.

The career of UFC legend Ortiz has been well documented and tonight's pay-per-view fight is likely to be his last.

One of the best fighters in the history of the UFC's Light Heavyweight division, the 'Huntington Beach Bad Boy' remains a threat. But age and a number of injuries have led to him no longer being quite as dangerous as he once was.

That said, despite not being quite as quick as he was a few years ago, Tito still has good wrestling and ground and pound, and should not be ruled out tonight, and in many ways, Griffin is a good opponent for him.

Forrest remains a popular fighter, despite having had a few bad results as of late. He may not be the best in the division in any one particular area, but he doesn't have any real weaknesses. With a good all-round game and the ability to fight aggressively - even when taking some serious punishment - he deserves to be the bookmakers' favourite to win this clash.

Griffin lacks punching power, and whether he can finish Tito off tonight remains to be seen.

This should be an interesting fight. Both fighters are now past their best, and it is hard to see this one finishing early. But Griffin is arguably still in the better shape, and while he may lack the power, he should be able to comfortable deal with Ortiz's takedown attempts - especially now they aren't as quick as they once were.

Prediction: Forrest Griffin via decision.

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