In Hollywood, even the most finely crafted plots go stale after two go-rounds with the same characters. The gloss wears off. The expectations wane. Box-office buzz is killed. And, unless there’s a master thespian – like Sylvester Stallone in the endless “Rocky” series – to lead the way, the quality of the films suffer as the number of sequels reaches two.

In the world of mixed martial arts, on the other hand, trilogies are even more rare, but they’re seldom wasteful or illegitimate.

That statement even rings true for next month’s third episode of the Wanderlei Silva-Quinton Jackson matchup at UFC 92.

For a top-echelon MMA three-peat, though, this one might seem the most questionable when compared with others in the sport’s recent history.

That’s because in the first two encounters under the PRIDE banner, “The Axe Murderer,” with knees raging, left no doubt as to his supremacy over “Rampage.”

First, in 2003 during a Pride light-heavyweight tournament, Silva’s vicious knees spelled the end for Jackson at 6:28 of the first round. Then, in 2004 at Pride 28, it was a virtual re-run as Silva knocked out Rampage again at 3:26 of the second.

Using history as a gauge, there would be little reason for another act between the two. Wandy drove home the point with his legs, after all.

In other significant MMA trilogies over the past decade – Randy Couture-Vitor Belfort; Fedor Emelianenko-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira; and Couture-Chuck Liddell – the third duels served as rubber matches, although in two cases (Couture-Belfort and Fedor-Nogueira) fluky, match-ending cuts helped create a necessity for No. 3.

A noted absentee from this discussion is the Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock string, which was dominated by Ortiz, 3-0, but sort of required a third installment because of a controversial stoppage in the second meeting.

(As an aside, I’m sure better-educated readers can list additional three-part MMA battles that I have missed. If that’s the case, please inform me of such oversights. I crave the knowledge. However, cursing and name-calling – unless very creative – are uncalled for no matter how much joy they give you.)

A glance at the other three trilogies helps illustrate the point that Silva-Rampage III is a rarity among rarities.

Couture-Belfort: This triad of fights began at UFC 15 in 1997 with Couture winning by first-round TKO. The pairing got more interesting in 2004, when reigning light heavyweight champ Couture lost to Belfort in less than a minute at UFC 49. Belfort caught “The Natural” with a left hook that opened a nasty cut under his left eye within the first 30 seconds. Next thing you know, the doctor called a stop to the bout at :49 of the first because of a corneal abrasion that impaired Couture’s vision, leaving everyone unsatisfied. The win gave the belt to Belfort, and paved the way for a third altercation just seven months later to remove the cloud of disenchantment. Couture then regained the title decisively with a TKO when doctors stopped the fight after the third round due to cuts.