Two Words, One Answer.
UFC 72
 Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 72: Victory $19.98 This event had pretty good undercard fights, and one of the best lightweight bouts of 2007, but when the time came for the main two confrontations of the night, we were left with a sour taste in our mouth. Griffin vs. Ramirez turned out as a really boring fight, with two extremely cautious fighters. I do not understand how these guys are planning to get any higher, since it is pretty clear that those that do not go after their chances to finish a fight in this sport, will end up on the short end. The saddest thing is that once I watched Franklin vs. Okami, even the previous fight looked decent. Both these fighters were looking for a shot at the title, and they disappointed everyone with a soporific bout. The comment at the end was right on, "too little, too late". Going over the other fights in the main card, there was a good show by MacDonald and Singer in an evenly matched confrontation, but Griffin vs. Guida really stole the show. This was a spectacular strategic fight, with outstanding technical elements, and combining proficient wrestling, good stand-up, and some of the best defense I have ever seen. More than anything, these two guys came to the octagon with their mind on giving the spectators what they were looking for, which other fighters definitely forgot to do. The undercard featured a few exciting bouts, and there were some interesting local fighters. The one feature that I liked better than in previous productions was that there are lengthier presentations before the fights with interviews, even for the undercard match-ups. It is a real shame that the main fights of the night were not up to par.  Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 77: Hostile Territory $19.98 This dvd has four middleweight fights showcasing the UFC's middleweight divison.This card gets its name from Rich Franklin challenging for The middleweight title in his hometown of Cincinatti,Ohio. In the prelims; Matt Grice vs Jason Black won fight of the night honors Excellent dvd!  Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 71: Liddell vs. Jackson $19.98 Date: May 26, 2007 Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada This fight card presents a fairly decent night of fights leading up to a rematch long-in-the-making between Chuck Liddell and Quinton Jackson. It is a fight card populated mostly by good fighters who (in my opinion) have very little impact on their respective divisions. Carmello Marrero vs. Wilson Gouveia: This one is decent and mildly entertaining, although brief. Din Thomas vs. Jeremy Stephens: Stephens has his debut fight against a seasoned veteran in Din Thomas. Thomas again looks very good against the only level of competition he ever truly looks good against. I do not see him as a legit contender and he has been around forever. He is a very talented fighter, but he has proven not to be able to stack up against the best. This fight has absolutely no impact on the division. Oh well... Alan Belcher vs. Sean Salmon: Both fighters are coming off of losses and both have a lot to prove in the UFC. Here, only one fighter seems to fight as though he is in such a predicament. James Irvin vs. Thiago Silva: James Irvin is luckily injured in this fight and potentially saved from a vicious beating... Silva is the next beast coming out of the esteemed Chute Box Academy. We will be seeing more of him soon. Chris Leben vs. Kalib Starnes: If someone was to ask me to concoct a matchup between the two UFC fighters who most annoy me, this would be the result. This fight is a snoozer and again has no impact on the division. Don't get me wrong, the fight is pretty competitive, but it simply isn't going to have you standing up and cheering. Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine: I am sure that if you watch any UFC at all, it would not be a spoiler for me to mention that this is the most shocking moment of the night. This fight was supposed to be a showcase fight for The Dean of Mean. All appears to be going to plan as Jardine stuns Alexander with a shot that sends him quickly to the canvas. What happens after that is just beautiful to watch.... WOW! Ivan Salaverry vs. Terry Martin: Fans may remember Salaverry from back in the UFC 50s when he was fighting and defeating the likes of Tony Fryklund and Joe Riggs with excellent submissions. This fight pits the handy and slick Salaverry against a bull named Terry Martin. Strength vs. Experience... Who will win? Who cares? Just kidding... This one is not too bad. Karo Parisyan vs. Josh Burkman: This is NOT one of the fights that will have no impact on the division. In this case, we have a stalwart in the division, Karo Parisyan, against a rising talent in Burkman. Both fighters are great contenders and both are very exciting fighters. Simply based on my view of the fighters, I would place Karo a level above Burkman prior to seeing them go at it. This fight is definitely worth watching, but don't expect anything spectacular. Main Event - Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson: This is a special moment, as I watched this fight among a room of Chuck Liddell fans. I watch Rampage like a proud father, haha. After having followed Jackson from as far back as King of the Cage all the way through his days with Pride FC (through all ups and downs), I believed that he was simply a better fighter than Liddell in every aspect. I knew he had Liddell's number and that he would beat him 9 times out of 10. Both fighters come out looking calm and focused as Couture (on commentary) predicts that Jackson will wear Chuck down by the 3rd or 4th. I would have said the same, but instead we are treated to a calculated, hitman style stoppage. The winner gets Dan Henderson - what a treat. This DVD release brings a far better DVD format than previous UFC DVDs. As always, there is some solid bonus material. Jackson highlights this portion of the DVD, as well. |
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