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Cert: 18
Length: 60 mins
This is an hour long feature, resplendent with thirty six highlight reel finishes, spanning the period from the inception of the Ultimate Fighting Championship until 2006. I actually feel like something of a spare part giving this any level of recommendation, as with four instalments of the “Ultimate Knockouts” series preceding this, chances are you’ll already know whether this release will strike a chord. Be forewarned, however, if you have accumulated said prior releases, there’s not a fat lot of new material to be found here.
So, who exactly is this release aimed at? Simply put, I’d say it would certainly serve as an effective hook for someone wanting a window into Mixed Martial Arts, coming as it does sans any mat-based exchanges, which tend to be something of a deterrent to the novice viewer. Other than that, this bad boy is strictly for the Attention Deficit Disorder brigade who lack the patience for full length fights- namely, the people Vince Russo used to book Raw for (“what most people want to know as soon as a match starts is ‘What’s the finish?’, so that’s what I give them”).
Knockouts include:
- David Abbott vs. Steve Nelmark
- Brad Kohler vs. Steve Judson
- Jens Pulver vs. John Lewis
- B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno
- Gary Goodridge vs. Paul Herrera
- David Abbott vs. Pedro Rizzo
- Shonie Carter vs. Matt Serra
- Carlos Newton vs. Matt Hughes
- Pedro Rizzo vs. Josh Barnett
- Pete Williams vs. Mark Coleman
- Evan Tanner vs. Tito Ortiz
- Patrick Smith vs. Scott Morris
- David Abbott vs. John Matua
- B.J. Penn vs. Din Thomas
- Dave Menne vs. Phil Baroni
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Ian Freeman
- Chuck Liddell vs. Renato Sobral
- Ricco Rodriguez vs. Tim Sylvia
- Hermes Franca vs. Caol Uno
- Tim Sylvia vs. Gan McGee
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
- Frank Mir vs. Wes Simms
- Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz
- Wesley Correira vs. Andrei Arlovski
- Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell
- Georges St-Pierre vs. Jay Hieron
- Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thomson
- Matt Lindland vs. David Terrell
- Chuck Liddell vs. Vernon White
- Mike Swick vs. Alex Schoenauer
- Jonathan Goulet vs. Duane Ludwig
- Derrick Noble vs. Thiago Alves
- Chris Leben vs. Jorge Rivera
- Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Aldana
- Justin Eilers vs. Brandon Vera
- Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture
Happily, the title of this compilation is emphatically accurate, in that almost everything included can be construed as a highlight reel KO. None of the filler that bloated previous releases (eg. Frank Trigg vs Renato Verissimo at UFC 50 on Ultimate Knockouts 4) here, boys and girls. There are a couple of minor niggles: I can think of two Paul Buentello KO’s that should’ve been on here ahead of his win over the late Gilbert Aldana, and the bloke only made four UFC appearances, losing one of them. Additionally, it appears on the surface that Zuffa are pretending Vitor Belfort never existed- political or merely an oversight; you decide.
With little else left to say, I’ve elected to rate the content here within by turning this into a review-come-listamania. For my money, here are the top ten knockouts in UFC history (only one of which isn’t to be found on this DVD, but considering the recent timeframe, we’ll let them off)….
10) Tank Abbott vs Steve Nelmark- Ultimate Ultimate ’96
Included more for it’s visceral aftermath than the knockout blow itself, video packages for several years afterwards documented the effects of Tank’s heavy hands, as Nelmark slumped on his knees against the fence, his head hanging prone and limp, 45 degrees from his shoulders.
9) Nick Diaz vs Robbie Lawler- UFC 47
After two rounds of BBJ-whizz Diaz inexplicably dominating the standing exchanges with noted banger “Ruthless” Robbie, and the Miletich man got a touch over-enthused when getting a foothold in the exchanges with a combo, closing distance straight into a textbook cross-right from Diaz, toppling like so many feet of timber into the canvas.
8) Pedro Rizzo vs Tank Abbott- Ultimate Brazil
A visual feast amplified by the manic hometown crowd reaction, the debuting student of Marco Ruas made maximum impact weaving past tired haymakers and picking off shots, before finishing Tank with his soon to become trademark left leg kick/straight right combo to send the bruiser down and out.
7) Pete Williams vs Mark Coleman- UFC 17
The biggest upset in UFC history at the time, “The Hammer” huffed and puffed his way into the overtime period and made the cardinal mistake of dropping his hands for the briefest of moments, eating a heavy right kick square on the jaw and crumpling to a second straight Octagon defeat…. possibly dreaming of the inflated pay cheque waiting for him in PRIDE??
6) BJ Penn vs Caol Uno- UFC 34
The quintessential rapid-fire finish: Uno sprinted out of the blocks, missing a flying roundhouse kick, and Penn just unloaded in response, going ballistic with left followed by right. Ten seconds. Phenomenal.
5) Tito Ortiz vs Evan Tanner- UFC 30
The first Shamrock fight aside, easily the crowning moment of Ortiz’s lengthy 205lb title reign: a clinch, a gargantuan belly-to-belly slam and a stoppage- the slo-mo replays emphasised the velocity with which Tanner’s head rebounded off the mat upon impact.
4) Shonie Carter vs Matt Serra- UFC 31
The dictionary definition of “pulling one out of the fire”. With thirty seconds remaining and Serra surely cruising to a decision, “The Terror” shot to put the exclamation mark on the final round, and Carter threw total caution to the wind, timing a wild spinning backfist to absolute perfection- arguably the most dramatic KO in UFC history.
3) Yves Edwards vs Josh Thompson- UFC 49
Four-odd minutes of tentative exchange suddenly came to a crescendo when Edwards released a standing rear waistlock, taking leave of his feet and unleashing a lightning left roundhouse kick to the back of “The Punk’s” head. Absolutely spectacular.
2) Scott Smith vs Pete Sell- The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale
100% genuine All Japan style fighting spirit delayed selling at it’s finest: Sell nailed Smith with a right hook to the gut, causing him to double-over. Smelling knockout potential, Sell rushed in to be met with a resurgent knockout right hand, smack on the button…. John McCarthy stepped in… and Smith (the winner) crumpled to the mat in absolute agony from the prior blow.
1) Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz- UFC 47
Ortiz was still el numero uno in poster boy terms going into this ridiculously long awaited fight, even coming off the back of a five round shutout at the hands of Randy Couture and allegations of him previously “ducking” Liddell running amock. An insane standing second round barrage against the Octagon mesh with Ortiz’s head pinballing from left to right was all it took to instigate a role-reversal of Austin-Hart proportions in the UFC pecking order. The two biggest names on the list, and the most notable KO in company history.
So…. a compilation of knockouts, then…
Points – could just as easily be 0/10, 5/10 or 9/10. Depends entirely on your disposition.
Buy It:
UK: DVD
USA: DVD