UFC 79 – Nemesis – DVD Review

The world of ultimate fighting is one that isn’t always for the weak of heart. There are going to be kicks and punches. There are going to be takedowns and headbutts. The blood is going to flow while some teeth may end up flying. If you have never appreciated a sport such as boxing, wrestling, or even football, then there is a very strong chance this type of fighting may not be for you. It is full contact with nothing being held back. The fights are one hundred percent real, and the hatred spewing forth between some opponents is truly legit. Everyone involved in this sport has to deal with each enemy to come their way, their Nemesis.

If you’re new to ultimate fighting then be prepared to witness some of the most brutal and violent bouts you’ll ever see. These guys leave nothing on the table and are not looking to merely win, but to decimate their foes in ways that mere men can only dream of doing. And one of the best parts about these events is the crowds. The fans know how hard the fighters are working and how much time and effort is put into their craft, and they respect that. But hearing the boos and jeers when things aren’t kept exciting enough makes it all that much better because it forces the fighters to step it up a notch and add winning over the crowd to their goals.

Closing out the year in style on December 27, 2007, UFC wanted to have fans going home happy as another year of cage fighting was about to commence. The main event saw the UFC Welterweight title on the line as Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes would meet inside the octagon to determine who would finish out 2007 with the crown over their names. A battle that is six years in the making, though, may have been the one to take center stage as men known “The Iceman” and “The Axe Murderer” were all set to step into battle to prove their legendary status. UFC icons Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva were set to showcase their worth and leave their nemesis lying on the canvas.

~ Mark Bocek Vs. Doug Evans – A very quiet crowd as there weren’t many fans in attendance yet as this match didn’t even air on the original broadcast. Some good fighting back and forth as it was a close match, but not the greatest.

~ Roan Carneiro Vs. Tony Desouza – Another match that didn’t originally air on the broadcast, but this one was better then the first. Some really nice shots from both and Carneiro can really pound a guy when given the shot.

~ Jordan Radev Vs. Dean Lister – Here is a third match that was only included on the DVD and not aired on the PPV. The guys are kind of evened up nicely but Lister has a four-inch height advantage and five-inch reach advantage giving him a pretty big bonus to start. A lot of brawling from these two making for not the best paced match, but still a decent one.

~ Nate Mohr Vs. Manny Gamburyan – This match did air on the broadcast, but was considered a bit of a bonus since it aired at the end. The beginning of this bout showed a lot of stalling and grappling from both fighters, but then it was done and over before you even realize it.

~ Luiz Cane Vs. James Irvin – Yet another match that did not air on the original broadcast. James Irvin just looks like he would beat the living hell out of anyone that gets in his way. Both fighters lay some stiff shots early on, but the fight is over very quickly due to an illegal knee from Cane. It is stuff like that which shows just how violent and damaging this sport can be.

~ Rich Clementi Vs. Melvin Guillard – Two very even fighters who are both from Southern Louisiana and have a lot of hatred for each other. It is blatantly obvious that these two dudes wanted to beat the snot out of each other and it shows for a while, but again it is a fight that is over very quickly.

~ Lyoto Machida Vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou – This is Sokoudjou’s UFC debut and Machida had no plans of making it easy for him. Machida does some nice martial arts moves trying to counter the big strikes from Sokoudjou. Machida constantly tried wearing down his opponent with submission holds and swift kicks, while Sokoudjou just waited patiently and bided his time looking for openings. This wasn’t a long match either, but it was a damn fun one.

~ Soa Palelei Vs. Eddie Sanchez – The announcers say that these two guys love to put away their opponents quickly with big strikes and sheer force. Both of these guys take a helluva of a beating, but Sanchez just never appears to look fazed by any of it no matter how much damage he takes. Some really awful looking visuals are given as Palelei is bleeding heavily from the mouth and it is just spilling all over the back of Sanchez when they grapple up.

~ Chuck Liddell Vs. Wanderlei Silva – Even if you’re not a fan of ultimate fighting, then you have probably at least heard of either one of these guys. It is a match that is six years in the making and long overdue if you ask UFC fans. These guys are just insane and the crowd was extremely hot for this match. Both do a lot of stalling at the beginning of the fight in respect to the power they know each other has, but when they finally start to mix it up it is awesome. It is really hard to tell who has the advantage throughout because Liddell would do something and then Silva would return the favor, and vice versa. Truly a fight that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

~ Interim Welterweight Championship Bout: Georges St-Pierre Vs. Matt Hughes – This match-up comes from Matt Serra, who is the real Welterweight Champion, being injured and these two duking it out for the interim title. These two are pretty evenly matched and make way for a very entertaining match. Hughes constantly seems to get the worst of it by looking at his face all beaten up, but he dominates a lot of moments as well. A great match to end this card and one that needs to be seen again numerous times down the road.

The event is shown in 16:9 Widescreen format and it looks really good, but it’s not like it did when it first aired either. Everything can be seen cleanly and the transfer to DVD is flawless.

The event is heard in Stereo Sound and it is also more then adequate. All the promos are done nicely, and the music and crowd noise can be heard at good levels.

Behind The Scenes – This is simply a twenty-seven minute feature showing some of the fighters in the days leading up to the event, pre-match, and post match. Rather fun to check out.

UFC 78: Validation was the first ultimate fighting event I ever saw from start to finish and while it was full of entertaining lightweight bouts, this was better. Some of the heavyweight matches are just intensely insane with the sheer power and insurmountable force they deliver their strikes with. I don’t see how any of these guys can keep on standing, let alone continue to fight. Liddell and Silva was simply the best match on the entire DVD, but the rest of the main card and even the preliminary card are all those that should be checked out. The special features aren’t much at all, but this is the kind of event where you wouldn’t expect much in that department anyway. I’ve got to hand it to UFC because they have made a new fan out of me and I’ll be checking out as many of their events as possible.

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First Look presents UFC 79 – Nemesis. Featuring: Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida, Rameau Sokoudjou, and many more. Running time: 170 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: March 25, 2008. Available at Amazon.com