Anchor Bay
Release date: Dec 7th, 2010
MSRP: DVD: $19.97 , Blu-ray: $29.97
This collection features 30 fights (20 in the main section, 10 in extras) from the UFC Heavyweight division. Each features an introdcuction that sets the scene. All of the fights in the main section are from the last few
years, with only one (Silvia/Mir from UFC 48) being from before 2007. Virtually all of the recent bouts include wins from current UFC fighters (Gonzaga’s ko of Mirko and Duffee’s blasting Hauge being the exceptions). And all but a few of these bouts end in fireworks.
The picture varies from fight to fight. Not surprisingly, the older bouts show their age a bit, but since most of those fights are from the last few years, the quality is very good. The most recent ones are in HD so those that purchase the BD will certainly see a difference between Lesnar/Mir II versus Couture.Halme.
The Main Section:
UFC 48: Tim Sylvia (16-0) vs. Frank Mir (7-1) for the UFC Heavyweight
Championship
UFC 70: Mirko Cro Cop (22-4-2) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1)
UFC 81: Frank Mir (10-3) vs. Brock Lesnar (1-0)
UFC 84: Christian Wellisch (8-3) vs. Shane Carwin (8-0)
UFC 90: Junior dos Santos (6-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1)
UFC 91: Randy Couture (16-8) vs. Brock Lesnar (2-1) for the UFC Heavyweight
Championship.
UFC 92: Minotauro Nogueira (31-4-1-1NC) vs. Frank Mir (11-3) for the Interim
UFC Heavyweight Championship
UFC 96: Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0)
UFC 100: Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3) for the Undisputed UFC
Heavyweight Championship
UFC 102: Tim Hague (10-1) vs. Todd Duffee (5-0)
UFC 102: Randy Couture (16-9) vs. Minotauro Nogueira (31-5-1-1NC)
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale: Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. Brendan Schaub (4-0)
UFC 107: Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo (14-5-1)
UFC 108: Junior dos Santos (9-1) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1-1NC)
UFC 110: Minotauro Nogueira (32-5-1-1NC) vs. Cain Velasquez (7-0)
UFC on Versus: Junior dos Santos (10-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)
UFC 111: Frank Mir (13-4) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0)
UFC Fight Night 20: Roy Nelson (14-4) vs. Stefan Struve (19-3)
UFC 115: Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2-1NC) vs. Pat Barry (5-1)
UFC 116: Brock Lesnar (4-1) vs. Shane Carwin (12-0) for the Undisputed UFC
Heavyweight Championship
The Extras
UFC 65:Frank Mir vs. Brandon Vera
UFC 74: Frank Mir vs. Antoni Hardonk
UFC Fight Night 18: Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien
UFC 89: Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
UFC on Versus 1: Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley
UFC 6: Tank Abbott vs. John Matua
UFC 8: Don Frye vs. Thomas Ramirez
UFC 12: Mark Coleman vs. Dan Severn
UFC 13: Randy Couture vs. Tony Halme
UFC 13: Vitor Belfort vs. Tank Abbott
This is by no means a history of the UFC HW division, or even of it’s recent past. There are too many notable bouts (not all especially exciting, but certainly historical) missing for this to be considered anything other than a best of compilation.
.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen at least the first Pedro Rizzo/Randy Couture fight included on this set. I also would have picked Barry/Hardonk over Barry/Mirko. After Barry’s first round flurry, the bout
slows down quite a bit and is kind of lackluster. Hardonk/Barry was, in my opinion, much more entertaining. And I would imagine that Randy Couture’s title win over Tim Sylvia was excluded because it went five full rounds. To me, that is still a magical bout as nobody gave Randy much of a chance.
Nitpicking aside, you get some serious bang for your buck. Again, this is not the greatest HW bouts of the UFC, but simply a collection of exciting bouts featuring, for the most part, currently UFC HWs. Keeping that in mind, MMA fans will have fun here as most of these feature KO/TKOs and are action-packed. Die-hard fans will likely have some issues with which fights have been included, but should still have fun with it.
Order UFC – ULTIMATE HEAVYWEIGHTS on DVD or Blu-ray.
Jeremy Lynch
