UFC 42: Sudden Impact Review

Cert: 15

DVD: 200 mins
Video: 164 mins

This week I sat down in the comfort of my own arm chair to watch the latest offering from those good people down at ufcvideo.com. UFC 42 Sudden Impact has been said to be a more low key release from the UFC after so many big events but as always I like to watch events for myself before drawing judgement. So it is with an open mind I watched UFC 42 (DVD) to see if it could follow on from its recent predecessors.

The double main event revolving around the UFC Welterweight title is what many fans watched to see but with an interesting undercard and a pre-lim match featuring the UK’s very own Mark Weir going up against David Loiseau (DVD only) this event deserved attention. This was set to be the most defining night in the career of Matt Hughes as he defended his title against Sean Sherk while also having to watch through Pete Spratt vs. Robbie Lawler who are both contenders for his title and with the winner putting himself in line for a shot at Matt’s belt, if he could hold on to it, the night was set to be an interesting one.

Matches

• UFC Welterweight Championship
• Matt Hughes vs. Sean Sherk
• Pete Spratt vs. Robbie Lawler
• Wesley “Cabbage” Correira vs. Sean Alvarez
• Rich Franklin vs. Evan Tanner
• Genki Sudo vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig

Highs and Lows

The intro sequences get better and better with every release I watch, this may seem like a trivial point but I think it is a very important element to the show as it is the first thing the viewer sees and can help dictate whether the viewer looks forward to watching the event or not. I think the UFC have been watching the WWE very closely as they always produce brilliant opening sequences to the PPV events and I think by doing this it will help UFC drag in the casual fan.

One of the major highs about this event is that although there is only one title on the line there are a lot of quality bouts with a good mix of action. If you are only a casual fan you may not have heard of some of the guys on the card but after watching them you won’t be able to easily forget them. I think it is a good thing that UFC continue to use a mix of household name talent alongside up and coming talent as it is the way to insure the long term future of the company. Like I say the action was mixed and so were the decisions some went the distance and some were over in the first and second round so it was a good mix of action for those with varied attention spans.

Favourite matches on the card were Wesley “Cabbage” Correira vs. Sean Alvarez, Cabbage is an absolute man beast who has to be seen to be believed. Genki Sudo vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig that match could of gone either way and had so many twists and turns to keep up on you on the edge of your seat. My favourite above all though was the Matt Hughes title defense both guys proving why they were part of the main event as they put on one hell of a show.

One little disappointment was the lack of extra bonus footage on the DVD version compared to what the UFC have been offering recently although in the past they have given you way more than your moneys worth so we can’t really complain. I think though they could find a happy medium for bonus footage as bonus footage is one of the main reasons people will buy the DVD instead of the video.

A low if you like to call it that was in one of the results as our boy Frank Mir was unfortunately unsuccessful in his prelim match which must have set him back a lot. I think it is important for the UFC brand development in the UK that they try to find UK talent to use to get more UK people interested. I know there are a few UK MMA stars that UFC have used in the past like with the big UK event they did at the Albert Hall so it would be good to see them get some more exposure.

DVD Extras

• Preliminary matches:

– Dave Strasser vs. Romie Aram
– Richard Crunkilton vs. Hermes Franca
– Mark Weir vs. David Loiseau

• Spanish commentary
• Behind the Scenes Action
• Ultimate Music
• Detailed Fighter Bios

Overall

I thought in places it was one of the most brutal and enjoyable UFC event I have seen in a while. I think the lack of titles defended and big name stars will put people off buying this event but if you are purely a fan of the action then this is another must have addition to the collection. If you like big hitting high impact matches this will be right up your street with sweat and blood filled stand up wars of aggression and if that wasn’t enough we have a first in UFC history with Duane Ludwig trying a move very reminiscent of the Karate Kid.

Points: 6.5 / 10 (Purely because of the lack of star power)

Adam Sibley

Buy It:

UK: £17.99 (DVD)