The octagon 'Down Under' - UFC 110.

UFC 110 was a landmark for the Zuffa brand, busting through to a new territory – Australia. Interestingly the Sydney card featured many non-American fighters, including Croatians, Kiwis, Auzzies, Brazilians and Brits, giving the event a truly international feel.

Money-matches featured here are heavyweight contenders Antonio Minotauro Nogueira and Cain Velasquez colliding, along with international middleweight clash – Brazilian Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva facing Britain’s own Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping.

So let’s see what you get for your money on this 2 disc release from FightDVD.

Our number one Brit middleweight contender Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping, has his hands full facing Brazilian Wanderlei ‘Axe Murderer’ Silva. Pride FC legend Wand doesn’t like Bisping’s apparent cockiness, he seemed to have rubbed him up the wrong way.

The heat heading towards the octagon showdown gave this bout high expectations. The 3 round battle doesn’t fail to entertain, a shame the close fight goes in favour of the Brazilian on the score cards. It would have been brilliant to have witnessed Bisping KO Silva, like Wolfslair team-mate Rampage wanted, thus elevating him closer to a title shot at another man named Silva – Anderson Silva.

Heavyweight contenders collide: Antonio Nogueira versus Cain Valesquez. Another former Pride warrior in action in Australia, Big Nog looks to climb back to the top of the division, against young gun Cain.

A superb opportunity to see why Cain is tipped to become future heavyweight champion, KO’ing Big Nog, in this one sided affair. Judging from this performance, Velasquez is the man to place a bet on at  winning the UFC heavyweight crown.

Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson against Auzzie – George Sotiropoulos is THE must see match-up.  Home-town hero ‘Wizard of Oz’ Sotiropoulos earns a name for himself locking horns with the American Joe-Daddy. You can feel the energy of the Auzzie audience, backing their fighter.

George’s impressive performance must put the great grappler on the map. Wicked match-up between 2 lightweight warriors.

Stacking up UFC 110, sees K1 and Pride superstar Mirko Cro Cop in action, Keith Jardine, TUF icon Stephan Bonnar and Chris ‘Lights Out’ Lyltle.

Disc 2 rounds off the package nicely, giving you UFC 110 Countdown, Fighter Interviews, Weigh Ins, plus Behind The Scenes is a hidden gem, showing us the pre-fight promotion ‘down-under’. Brilliant how accessible the UFC fighters are to the fans. See Bisping chillax on Bondi Beach, then follow Big Nog around Sydney Zoo.

Overall a worthy addition to your MMA DVD collection.

UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sport and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Rampage Jackson: Memphis to Hollywood.

Do you know what a ‘Rampage’ is? If you didn’t before, after watching this DVD you will. Rampage Greatest Hits charts the MMA career of Quinton Jackson, not only an international fight superstar but the new BA Baracus in the forthcoming A-Team movie.

Rampage is a man from humble beginnings, the Memphis native overcame adversity, trying his hand at wrestling, channelling his aggression in a way that would keep him out of mischief. Quinton’s high school wrestling success earnt him the All-State Championship.

Rampage progressed into the ranks of pro-MMA, gaining notoriety with an impressive 11-1 fight record. As a hotly tipped young gun, Jackson broke out internationally, aiming high for the big money of PRIDE FC, Japan.

UFC 114 Rampage returned to the octagon, for the highly anticipated showdown with ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans. Despite the hype, it’s fair to say the performance from the returning light-heavyweight contender was not what his fans had hoped for. If you want to see Jackson at his best during his tenures in PRIDE FC and UFC, this DVD is a must have for you.

This DVD release from FightDVD is an excellent reminder of how awesome a fighter he is. Included here are 5 bouts from Pride rings and 5 UFC cage clashes.

From the Pride era we see the larger than life ‘Rampage’ persona shining through, from the grand stage of Dream Stage Entertainment. His performance battling Japanese grappling hero Kazushi Sakuraba won Rampage a place in the hearts of the oriental fans, despite the loss. That bout is not shown, obviously this is the howling one’s greatest hits after all.

Quinton followed the Saku match-up with was some amazing wins, collected on the DVD. See tough competitors Ishkawa and Vovchanchyn receive a pulverising Rampage style.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman, the man who KO’d K1 killer Mirko – Crop Cop, receives a loss courtesy of Rampage.

We also are treated to Dana White on commentary duties, when his UFC protege Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell takes a beating.

Prepare to be amazed, in one of Jackson’s career highlights Ricardo Arona finds out the hard way how it feels to be knocked out by a Rampage-slam. In a word – brutal.

Away from Pride’s square-circle, Rampage acts out revenge in the  UFC cage for a loss against Eastman, earlier in his career. Rampage impresses in the octagon debut at UFC 67.

Jackson continues to impress, becoming the ‘Ice-breaker’, destroying Chuck Liddell in their highly anticipated rematch. Witness Quinton put Liddell on ‘Dream Street’, KO’ing the UFC legend in round 1.

Next up you’ll see Rampage unify UFC Light-heavyweight strap besting Dan Henderson for the Pride version of the title.

More revenge follows from UFC 96, this time Brazilian and Pride veteran, Wanderlei Silva is on the receiving end of a Rampage knock-out blow.

Final bout rounding off this collection sees another dominant performance, against Keith Jardine in a rugged 3 round battle. No KO, but still a testament to the dominant force that is Rampage Jackson.

Usually on a fight card release the fight quality may vary, no such problem in this case, right here all on one disc is a showcase of an MMA mega-star. A must have for all Rampage Jackson and mixed martial arts fans.

UFC Rampage Greatest Hits released on DVD Monday June 28, direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers. RRP: £12.99

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sport and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC: Best of 2009 DVD.

Along with putting all the UFC pay per view events on DVD for you to own, fortunately for us FightDVD also release all the best of collectors discs. One such recent offering is UFC Best of 2009.

Originally aired on ESPN, this unique DVD has the function of choosing extra bouts in their entirety as you view the main feature or you can pick to see the fights separately from the menu.

2009 without a doubt was an exciting year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, seeing new champions crowned, emerging top contenders plus returning cage warriors returning to better form. If you weren’t able to catch all the UFC’s output last year then this DVD for you.

Highlights include the epic battle of champions, Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre (Welterweight champ), challenged by the then reigning lightweight title holder BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn.

Another pivotal title fight was the crowning of new light-heavyweight king Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida, who devastated ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans.

One of the biggest moments of them all had to be at the monumental pay per view – UFC 100. That huge moment there on July 11 being former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar beating Frank Mir. Yes, ‘the next big thing’ stamped his moniker on Mir and the heavyweight division, thus avenging his only MMA lost.

Along with dominant champions, 2009 saw a huge return for octagon icon Chuck Liddell. The KO loss to Shogun Rua reminded us the best is behind the UFC Hall of Famer. Former PRIDE FC legend Rua of course went on to greater glory, putting in a great performance versus Machida, earning a return title fight in 2010.

Still in the LHW bracket, 2009 was the year a UFC great – Tito Ortiz made his return to active MMA competition and the ranks of the UFC. A new arrival making an impact Brazilian Little Nog.

The newer emerging talent featured on the 2 disc set that get a shout are Brits Dan ‘Outlaw’ Hardy, who had a fantastic year, plus Scouser Terry Etim, another rising star from our fair isles. Can’t forget the success of the UK contingent on season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. Lightweight winner Ross Pearson in particular is a fighter to watch the progress of.

A fight aired at part of TUF 9 finale making the compilation here is Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez facing Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida, in possibly the best slug-fest of ‘09.

TUF 10: The Heavyweights receives a mention but here too, but not enough time here given to winner Roy Nelson, a fighter Dana White didn’t seem to appreciate.

The Best of 2009 may not be personally all what you might pick for the DVD but it’s clearly a value for money addition to your MMA DVD collection, boasting 345 minutes worth of ultimate-fighting action in total, including bonus material, peeking behind the scenes of memorable 2009 cage-clashes.

UFC Best Of 2009 is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sport and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin.

‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Tito Ortiz finally returned to the UFC octagon at UFC 106. Tito an icon of mixed martial arts, dominated the light-heavyweight division for 3 years, as the longest reigning champion. It’s safe to say Ortiz was a driving force in establishing the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand, battling huge drawing names, including Ken and Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture and Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell.

On this FightDVD release it’s legend versus The Ultimate Fighter winner, as Forrest Griffin steps up for the return contest. Ortiz beat Griffin 3 years previous on a close decision, at UFC 59 – 2006, at UFC 106 fan favourite Forrest was out to even the score.

Griffin also a former light-heavyweight champion, entered the sequel following a loss to the seemingly unbeatable Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva, likewise Ortiz needed to impress with his pay per view return.

So did the showdown live up to the hype? Sadly no, despite the pairings efforts carrying their injuries. However there are still many good reasons to purchase this 2 disc release.

Skip to disc 2, select Behind The Scenes for a peek at Ortiz back in his prime. Highlights chosen include the clash against ‘The Axe Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva way back from UFC 25. A fight that did a lot to build up Tito’s status in the MMA world. Also featured is the fabled feud between Ortiz and Ken Shamrock and his Lions Den team.

Returning to the fight card, you can catch the controversy of the Josh Koscheck and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson match-up. A gripping bout between 2 magnificent wrestlers who can really bang. Kos won convincingly despite taking advantage of the incident of being kneed when down. Strange not hearing Red Hot Chili Peppers version of the Stevie Wonder classic ‘Higher Ground’ as Koscheck makes his way to the cage, shame the songs gets edited out of the soundtrack, the entrance music adds to the feel of the live event.

Other highlights here include the return of New York Bad-Ass’ Phil Baroni, who faced young gun Amir Sadollah. This was old school versus new school, as likable TUF winner Amir beat Mark Coleman’s mate going the distance.

Elsewhere saw Little Nog’s debut inside the 8-sided cage, taking on light-heavyweight contender Luiz Cane in a battle of the Brazilians. The hunter became the hunted one, as Rogerio knocks out Cane.

Overall a value for money package, considering all that’s on offer from this 2 disc collector’s, DVD stacked with extra footage.

UFC 106 – Ortiz Vs. Griffin is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

A jubilant Michael Bisping at UFC 105, Manchester.

UFC 105, another action packed DVD release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship and FightDVD.  This fight card was the most recent UFC event on British soil, held in Manchester.

Legendary hall of famer Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture fought in the top spot versus Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera. Vera formerly a hotly tipped future champ who beat former heavyweight title-holder Frank Mir. At UFC 105 Vera aimed to return to that same form. For Couture this match-up was his first octagon outing following the recent decision to drop a weight bracket back down to light-heavyweight.

The main event billed contest, in all honesty wasn’t the most exciting bout. The Natural did enough to edge out a tick in the ‘W’ column, using his patented clinch game, trapping Vera against the fence coupled with dirty boxing.

Value for money is evident however from the British contingent representing their homeland.

Co-main event position on the fight card goes to English Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy, taking on American Ultimate Fighter veteran Mike ‘Quick’ Swick. On the line for this one was a shot at Georges St Pierre’s coveted welterweight strap.  So stakes were high. Hardy the Mohicanned-Midlander, impressed earning his shot for GSP’s gold at UFC 111. A points win , getting the job done to earn a place in history, as the first ever mixed martial artist to challenge a UFC champion.

Next on the bill saw Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping return to winning ways, following the brutally devastating knock-out loss to Dan Henderson back at the monumental UFC 100 on July 11th 2009. The TUF 3 winner Bisping clashed with French born, former Pride FC competitor Denis Kang , giving the Brit MMA superstar the opportunity to shine.  Despite a rocky start getting floored by his opposition Kang, Bisping defied the odds.

The Count overwhelmed Kang, utilising a ground and pound attack, repeatedly taking his opponent to the canvas, until gaining the TKO win.

Elsewhere you’ll witness another British Ultimate Fighter put in a fantastic performance, as Ross Pearson brutalises American Aaron Riley.

Look out for Nick Osipaczak and Terry in their respective preliminary bouts, 2 Brit battlers who do not fail to entertain.

UFC 105 – a DVD you must have in your collection, as a supporter of home-grown world calibre MMA talent, however it’s a shame some cage entrance music is missing, including Blur’s song used by Bisping and post fight interviews plus The Count’s celebration exhibition match with his son. Notably Andre Winner vs Roli Delgado got the chop from the FightDVD release.

Despite taking a little away you do receive bonus material included in the 2 disc package.

UFC 105 – COUTURE vs. VERA is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk, HMV and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fight Moments

The essential Ultimate 100 as voted for by the UFC fans online at UFC.com and presented by the voice of the UFC Mike Goldberg. This near 4 hour offering of octagon action is a fantastic starting point for all MMA converts.

Packaged up here are highlights of the 16 year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Sit back, crack open a Budweiser, relax and enjoy the journey following MMA evolve out of the no holds barred ‘Gracie Rules era’, to present day mainstream exposed Ultimate Fighter era of reality TV.

Many pioneering cage battlers feature on this release, including Tank Abbott, Don Frye, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, plus all the UFC champs and fan favourites such as Georges St Pierre, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin.

Not only will you witness some classic match-up highlights, you’ll witness some amazing upsets in the form of Gabriel Gonzaga KO’ing K1 knock-out king Cro Cop and Matt Sera nailing GSP. These upsets are perfect examples demonstrating the unpredictability of MMA, making it the most exciting sport to watch in the world today.

Voted by the fans at the number 5 spot is Lesnar vs Mir 1, from UFC 81. A classic clash and a recent memorable moment for current UFC fanatics. I’m sure if the vote took place post UFC 100, Lesnar vs Mir 2 would have been right up there.

On a collector’s  compilation DVD in this format you don’t see the complete bouts but this acts to help you choose the UFC releases to add to your personal collection next.

Another fantastically presented DVD release from the UFC. However the DVD isn’t actually a history of the UFC, hence the missing fighters who played their part shaping the sport, most notably Frank Shamrock, Kazushi Sakuraba and Bas Rutten. Here’s hoping the UFC will eventually create a docu-movie of the UFC and mixed martial arts drawing on the video library at hand from the UFC, Pride FC and WEC.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 100 - now available on DVD

Back on July 11th 2009 took place the Zuffa brand’s monumental hundredth numbered event. I remember the weekend well having timed my Sky + installation so I had no fear of missing this epic card. The biggest bonus of all the UFC treated those with Sky to the PPV card for free, on an obscure horse racing channel, despite all the Setanta debacle plus hours of extra UFC viewing thrown to boot.

UFC 100 was truly something special, drawing in the punters via a hat-trick of marquee match-ups. Making up that trifecta were all highly anticipated fights 2 of which were contesting over championship title ownership.

Team USA coach Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson versus rival TUF 9 rival, our very own Mike ‘The Count’ Bisping was a fight the fans on both sides of the pond were eager to see, having followed the middleweight contenders coach their nation’s team each week on the MMA reality TV show – The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK. The outcome of their middleweight showdown was not what I and most British fans hoped for, Bisping was not the best man on the night. Despite the loss for Bisping the bigger disappointment was the way Henderson dived in fist first when his opponent was clearly out of it. It was a brutal move, not good for the sport of MMA, neither was his reaction post fight. If Brit Bisping acted in the same manner smirking, acting all cocky the American crowd would have reacted in a far different way but hey, Mike is the British villain.

The second reason for buying this collectors DVD is Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre successfully defending his welterweight crown versus Thiago Alves, in gruelling 5 round battle of wills.

The hugest history making moment, making up the third part of the triple main event at the top of the card was the most highly anticipated heavyweight title clash between former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Lesnar solidified his thrown, sitting at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, dominating Mir in brutal style, thus avenging his only MMA loss. In the process he shut up Mir and all the doubters.

Disc 2 includes 6 preliminary fights, including UFC hall of famer Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman in action against The Ultimate Fighter 1 light-heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar. 44 year old Coleman proves he can still do it versus a man 12 years his junior in this bonus bout.  Further bonus material includes Countdown to UFC 100 plus UFC 100: Behind The Scenes.

UFC 100: Making History is a must have DVD, however it is just a shame they chose to edit some of the post fight interviews and octagon entrances from the live recording. Plus a hall of fame induction ceremony, announcing the new inductees would have completed the package. In the world of pro wrestling the WWE make a huge deal of their Hall of Fame inductions annually at the weekend of Wrestlemania, the UFC would do well to do similar, I’m sure the fight fans would love it.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: United States vs United Kingdom

Season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter is fresh in our minds, it is fair to say since watching TUF 9 on DVD format, I am reminded how much more successful that season was. Sure TUF 10 ratings at times were fantastic down to the drawing power of internet sensation Kimbo Slice but overall US vs UK was superior viewing.

Series 9 pitted the Brits going head to head against the Yanks, with established fighters Dan Henderson and Mike Bisping as coaches, built up to an awesome showdown at UFC 100. Not only did it build up tension for the middleweight clash it worked as a platform to create fresh and exciting new young stars for the Zuffa brand, most notably Ross Pearson, James Wilks, Andre Winner of the UK and American Demarques Johnson. Giving the show the added international rivalry made the MMA reality TV programme compelling viewing each and every week.

The only downside for us Brits was seeing our boy Bisping brutally beaten by Hendo following TUF 9 at UFC 100. However the series gave Yanks and Brits a reason to watch that fight featured on the mammoth pay per view card.

Whilst viewing disc 1 I realised this was Alex Reid’s first reality TV show he missed featuring in, failing to beat Dean Amasinger for a place in the ultimate fighter house. The second of course for Katie Price’s ex-boyfriend was hit ITV series I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, where he planned to swing into the jungle, Tarzan style and propose to then girlfriend glamour girl Jordan, live on national television.

Relive the whole series once more when you buy this 5 disc DVD set. The finale show on disc 4 features a contending MMA fight of the year, between lightweight battlers  Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez.

On the fifth DVD you will be treated to all the extras not included on the Virgin 1 aired TV series. The UFC take you behind the scenes of the series, a feature on the finale fighters plus UK and US bonus scene. Do yourself a favour by watching the UK bonus scenes alone for Lawson and Faulkner’s pro wrestling exhibition bout. Bournemouth based fighter Jeff Lawson is pure comedy gold.

The Ultimate Fighter season 9: US vs UK is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk, HMV and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC and related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 99 - The Comeback: Franklin vs Silva

It is just a matter of weeks since the last UFC event our side of the Atlantic took place, when the UFC landed down in Manchester, England for UFC 105. UFC 99 was the last time back on June 13th, 2009 we didn’t have to watch a live UFC card at stupid o’clock. Now is your chance to add this fightdvd release to your collection, complete with all the preliminary bouts, countdown show, the weigh-ins plus a special look behind the scenes of this mammoth MMA event from Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany.

The marquee match-up featured Pride FC veteran Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva facing off against UFC babyface Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin. Both competitors are enormously popular, Franklin being a likable fan favourite American hero, then we have Wanderlei the Brazilian rugged old school Pride campaigner. Surprisingly despite appearances there is little age difference between the pairing but Wanderlei has seen more wear and tear.

Both fighters were looking to climb back to the top having lost on their previous outings in the octagon, hence the comeback title. The contest was billed as a catch-weight bout at 195lbs, since Franklin was heading up to light-heavyweight and Silva down to the middle-weight division. A division dominated by another Silva and former Chute Boxe training partner Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva. Added to the fight build-up was Anderson choosing to train with Franklin, a fighter the middle-weight champ had beaten and wanted to help beat Wanderlei.  Incidently this headline showdown is the first time I placed a bet on a UFC fight and I lost it. Don’t always bet on the meanest looking dude is my advice!

Just below the top spot on the card is a brutal gruelling contest between heavyweight contenders, Latino wrestler Cain Valesquez taking on French-African striker Cheick Kongo. Cain is hotly tipped as a possible challenger to Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight thrown in the near future.

Another heavyweight bout features the return of the Croatian K1 kick-boxing sensation Mirko Cro Cop facing off against British based cage combatant Mostupha Al-Turk.

For us Brits the top fight featured here on this 2 disc DVD release has to be the welterweight grudge match of Marcus ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ versus Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy. Davis is a fighter who made a name for himself fighting this side of the Atlantic beating home-grown talent, fitting Hardy put an end to his streak. A new star was created in The Outlaw due to this showdown in Germany, cementing Hardy’s place in the top tier of the UFC welterweight division and the hearts of Brit MMA fans. That’s hope he gained more admirers in the USA and worldwide following his display of sportsmanship post fight, Davis did himself no favours leaving the octagon so swiftly. Look out for the UFC match-makers to announce a date for Dan Hardy to challenge Georges St Pierre in 2010 for the welterweight gold.

You can also view my original review of the live event by visiting our sister site BluRayUFC.com

UFC 99 is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC and related combat sports and martial arts DVD releases.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC 98 Evans vs Machida

The Christmas shopping season is upon us, no doubt you will be looking for recommendations to add to your own Christmas present list. To get you started here is the first of many UFC DVD releases from fightdvd.co.uk to be reviewed here at BluRayMMA.com. If you are an MMA enthusiast I’m sure you will want to get your mitts on these DVD delights.

First off is UFC 98 – Evans vs Machida.

There are 2 main reasons to add this DVD to your collection, the first is to see how the Machida era began, when Lyoto challenged Rashad Evans for the light-heavyweight championship, secondly the grudge match between Matt Serra and Matt Hughes.

Entering this title fight challenge Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida was undefeated, as was champion and current Ultimate Fighter coach ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans. Having 2 undefeated octagon combatants battle it out for the belt was a first at UFC 98. Clearly the defending title holder – Evans was not viewed as the crowd favourite since defeating fan favourite and original Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin. Machida on the other hand was seen as the cool Karate fighter that most fanatics wanted to see kick some butt and grab the gold.

As Joe Rogan states this is the first time a traditional martial artist has reached the pinnacle of MMA. Machida is true martial artist in the Bruce Lee sense, trained in the ways of the warrior under the guidance of his Japanese father growing up in Brazil. Machida being at the top of the MMA world with that exposure is a huge moment, he can potentially influence a whole generation of young males what being a martial artist is about, discipline, honour, respect, ideals to live your life by, not just beating someone up.

Machida’s post fight speech is something to behold, proclaiming Karate is back and announcing proudly if you have a dream you can do it, truly inspiring stuff. It’s fair to say this a direct contrast to Rashad Evans, a showman who has been know to display some level of arrogance.

The co main event of UFC 98 features the grudge fight of Matt ‘The Terror’ Serra and Matt Hughes. Both fighters have held the welter-weight title in the past but there is no belt on the line here, this is a clear grudge match, these guys do not like each other, no matter how much they respect each others MMA abilities.

Their history dates back to 2005, Serra saw Hughes on the Ultimate Fighter and didn’t like him then as the opposite coach to top UFC ace-face Rich Franklin. A year later Serra took part as a contestant on the cage fighting reality TV show, with Hughes guesting to coach. Serra’s disgust of the farmer’s boy grew from there on. UFC management paired the 2 Matts as the coaches for TUF 6, using weekly TV episodes to build up to their big showdown planned to follow at UFC 79, December 2007. The fight wasn’t to be due to Serra’s injury received during training. Lots of bad mouthing followed in the mean time, both fighters still wanted to beat each other up.

The battle of the Matts is interesting stylistically, Serra is a Jiu Jitsu expert with great boxing, with Hughes’ main strengths rooted in his wrestling ability. On top of that they are contrasting characters, Serra the Italian-American street-wise New Yorker, where as  Hughes is the mid-western farmers’ boy.

UFC 98 2 disc DVD release boasts superb presentation complete with all the preliminary bouts, many not aired on the live broadcast along with the weigh-ins, behind the scenes and what I feel really adds enjoyment to the main event fight the countdown show. Watch the countdown to see Lyoto preparing for the title fight in his native Brazil, training and meditating to clear his mind in preparation. You’ll also see what led to his arrival in the UFC fighting on cards in Japan for pro wrestling icon Antonio Inoki and being on the receiving end Inoki’s initiation wallop to the face.

UFC 98 is out now on DVD, available direct from www.fightdvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

UFC DVD review by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com