Tag Archives: UFC

UFC 141 marks Lesnar’s final UFC fight before WWE return

When UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem got under way on Dec. 30, 2011, it seemed the biggest news that would come in the aftermath of the main event would be who the number one contender to Junior dos Santos‘ UFC Heavyweight Championship would be. But as we all now know, it would end up being Brock Lesnar‘s last fight in an Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon (allowing his recent return to WWE).

As this Ultimate 2-Disc Collection shows, UFC 141 offered a lot of hard-hitting mixed martial arts action well before the heavyweight main event was even close to getting underway. The first disc features the main card, which begins with a featherweight bout between former Ultimate Fighter competitor Nam Phan and the undefeated Jimy “The Kid” Hettes. Though Phan takes it all three rounds, Hettes dominates the entire fight, extending his streak to 10-0 via unanimous decision.

Next is a light heavyweight fight between Belarusian veteran Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko and Sweden’s Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson. Unlike the previous fight, this one ends about halfway into the first round when Matyushenko runs into what would otherwise have been a Gustafsson jab, giving The Mauler an opportunity to pummel his opponent into a TKO victory.

The third bout shows Johny Hendricks making short work of one of UFC’s most celebrated welterweights Jon Fitch with a surprising knockout punch only 12 seconds into the first round. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the co-main event, a lightweight fight between the cocky and aggressive Nate Diaz and bull rider-turned-fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Nate Diaz (right) earns his victory over Donald Cerrone in UFC 141. Photo by Donald Miralle

Unlike most of the other fights on the card, there seems to be a legitimate dislike between Diaz and Cerrone, which only adds to the excitement. And it’s not often that you see a UFC fight go all three rounds, let alone two on the same card. But Diaz and Cerrone not only take each other to the limit, they also put on a display that earned them both Fight of the Night honors. With Cerrone taking Diaz off his feet several times and Diaz landing numerous hard punches and kicks, this one really could have gone either way. But in the end it’s Diaz who walks away with the win via unanimous decision.

The main event pits the highly decorated Dutch powerhouse Alistair Overeem making his UFC debut against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. This being Lesnar‘s first fight back since not only losing the title to Cain Velasquez, but also after overcoming his second bout with diverticulitis, it appears as if Lesnar is back in fighting condition. The fight gets off to a solid start, with Lesnar opening up Overeem just over his right eye early on. With the crowd solidly behind him, it soon becomes apparent that Lesnar is not 100 percent when Overeem lands a kick to his gut that sends Lesnar reeling in pain. Overeem takes advantage of this opportunity and lands numerous shots to Lesnar’s body to attain a TKO victory in the first round. After the fight, Lesnar shockingly announces his UFC retirement.

Alistair Overeem lands a kick to Brock Lesnar in his UFC 141 victory

Also included on this two-disc set are the Countdown to UFC 141, which provides some background on all the fighters and fights on the card, and the weigh-in show, which shows a bunch of muscular guys stripping down to their underwear to weigh-in for the fights. The weigh-in offers additional insight into some of the fights, most notably the Diaz/Cerrone encounter since Diaz was forced to work off an extra pound before entering the octagon.

The second disc also features five action-packed preliminary bouts, all of which go all three rounds and come down to very close decisions. It also includes a behind the scenes package and the Ultimate Insider, which provides even more looks at what UFC fighters do leading up to their matches.

For more information, go to www.ufcstore.com.

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida DVD offers hours of fights and more

Leave a reply

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida took place on December 10, 2011, main-evented by Jon “Bones” Jones and Lyoto “Karate Kid” Machida for the UFC World Light Heavyweight Championship. Some other highlighted matches include both Minotauro and Rogerio Nogueira, as they face off against Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz, respectively.

This Ultimate 2-Disc Collection features these matches and nine other bouts, as well as bonus material, including the weigh-in show, the countdown video package that aired prior to the pay-per-view and a brief look behind the scenes, offering more than four hours of content.

If there’s one thing that Ultimate Fighting Championship has really succeeded in, particularly over the last five years, it’s branding itself. After watching the video packages, the countdown videos and the weigh-in show, it’s very clear that UFC is constantly trying to attract new fans and crossover even more into the mainstream. From the music selection to the video production to the voiceover work, this DVD is an excellent example of how a company should brand itself. Once you’ve finished experiencing all that this DVD has to offer, you’ll find yourself waiting for the next UFC DVD to come out. This is a fantastic addition to your DVD library, whether you’re a long-time fan of mixed martial arts or just discovering this type of action. Because not only is the production value very high, but there also happen to be 24 pissed off dudes beating the living shit out of each other for almost four hours.

For more information, go to www.ufcstore.com.

Beating people up is more fun than ever with “UFC Undisputed 3”

Leave a reply

The most important thing I can say about THQ’s UFC Undisputed 3 is this: If you follow Ultimate Fighting Championship closely, you will love this game. If you don’t follow UFC, this game will at the very least pique your interest in mixed martial arts combat. Never before has UFC seen such an authentic transition into the video game world than with UFC Undisputed 3.

Having played the previous two UFC Undisputed games, I noticed some new things right away. For starters, there’s a brand new soundtrack on this game, and to call it absolutely epic would be a severe understatement. I can’t express how much I love the music in this game, which is both cinematic and energetic, and the perfect way to get pumped for a fight.

As in previous UFC games, Undisputed 3 has the standard list of options; exhibition mode, tournament mode, title fight mode (which is basically an arcade-style setup where you beat enough guys and win the championship), career mode (more in depth than title fight mode, as it allows for character customization and stats management) and several other modes that have made the UFC game franchise what it is today.

Another notable difference right away is the presence of Pride Fighting Championships, which brings a little bit of MMA nostalgia to the game. In fact, you can choose to fight in Pride arena’s (and under the more lenient Pride regulations) or in UFC arenas. It truly adds a special touch to the game by acknowledging the accomplishments of this now-defunct promotion.

Character customization and creation is also back, with a few minor improvements. For example, you can now create and add your own logos to shorts, trunks, t-shirts, etc. You can also assign specific entrance animations, winning animations, character introduction animations, entrance music and other features to create truly unique fighters. And your customimzed characters and logos can be uploaded to THQ’s servers to be downloaded by other UFC enthusiasts around the world.

Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the overall game presentation and gameplay. First of all, if you’ve played a UFC game before, you know how authentic the music, sound effects, character models and commentary are. In fact, the level of authenticity far surpasses any other sports game, and here’s why. Before I played a UFC game, I had never seen a UFC event, live or televised. But after the first game piqued my interest in the UFC product, I decided to head down to my local drinking establishment and check out UFC 124. To my surprise, it was just like the game. The music, the commentary, the presentation, the camera angles; it was all identical. Talk about authenticity!

THQ has always managed to make MMA gameplay feel smooth, easy to learn and amazing. And with Undisputed 3 THQ has completely stepped up its game. It is now much easier to do ground transitions and ground takedowns, and the submissions system has been completely revamped into a very enjoyable, thrilling experience. The gameplay is fluid and authentic and helps bring you even further into the world of UFC.

If you love sports games, love watching MMA or love great, competitive gameplay, this game is a must-buy for you. Never before have reality and video games been so close when it comes to the world of mixed martial arts.

UFC Undisputed 3 is available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Rated T. www.ufcundisputed.com.

Review by Dan Kemp

New UFC DVD set offers 20 discs of man-groping action

Leave a reply

By Jonathan Williams

Whether you’re a die-hard fan who never misses a mixed martial arts bout or you just have a passing interest in a sport that consists of two guys entering a cage and pummeling each other (or awkwardly grappling on the mat) until one of them submits, pretty much everybody knows that Ultimate Fighting Championship provides some of the most brutal athleticism around. And the past year or so has seen some of UFC’s most exciting and unpredictable moments to date.

Featuring UFC 116-131, UFC Fight Night 22-24 and UFC Live 2-4, UFC: Ultimate Fight Collection 2011 Edition features UFC’s biggest battles and key moments from July 2010 through June 2011. This 20-disc box begins with UFC 116, headlined by the highly anticipated match between former WWE and International Wrestling Grand Prix Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and undefeated UFC veteran Shane Carwin to determine the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Billed as “the biggest heavyweight battle in history,” it pits then UFC Heavyweight Champion (Lesnar) against the Interim Heavyweight Champion (Carwin), with Lesnar retaining (and giving Carwin his first loss) in only his fifth UFC fight. The set also includes Lesnar’s shocking and resounding title loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.

But heavyweight title bouts are only part of the hard-hitting MMA action found here. From 170 impressive matches such as Matt Hamill‘s victory over his former The Ultimate Fighter mentor Tito Ortiz at UFC 121 to featurettes such as Best of Rogan 1-on-1 (featuring UFC commentator Joe Rogan) to ten hours of footage never before available on DVD, UFC: Ultimate Fight Collection 2011 Edition includes almost 50 hours of action, interviews and other excitement. While only the hardest of hardcore fans is likely to fully appreciate everything this set has to offer, there’s no doubt he’ll want to invite all his friends over to relive a year’s worth of octagon action.

For more information, go to www.ufcstore.com.