Join me as I give 10 Thoughts on the Blu-Ray every UFC fan has been waiting for since the live event: UFC 100. This is UFC’s first Blu-Ray with their new distribution partner Anchor Bay Entertainment. Basically, I’m just going to type out whatever thoughts pop into my mind. This may end up looking like an organized rant/event review/DVD review hybrid, but the purpose of this column is to give you an idea of what you are walking into before you make a commitment and buy it. After all, Blu-Rays seem to be getting more expensive day by day. Without further adieu, LET’S GET IT ON!
UFC 100 Blu-Ray Specs
Resolution: 1080i 16:9
Sound/Languages: English, Spanish
Bonus Features: Preliminary Bouts, Countdown to UFC 100, Behind the Scenes
(Opening the package, Blu-Ray Main-Menu and Presentation)
1. The container says this is a two-disc set, but there’s only one disc in the container! Looks like a mess up on the distributers part because all the advertised features are on the one disc. So don’t panic when you open your Blu-Ray case, you’re not missing any product.
2. The Blu-Ray starts off with a screen that says “DISC LOADING: THIS MAY TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES”. For a second, I thought this switch to Anchor Bay was for the worst, but the loading took no more than fifteen seconds which is not bad at all. The main menu is incredibly clear and crisp, with generic epic music playing while the screen shows clips from the event. So far, I’m pretty pumped to watch this event.
3. Even though I already know the ending to the three main-event bouts, the opening interviews and video pumped me up like no other. “Face the Pain” sounds a little poppy, but that song was recorded years ago so I can’t really dog them for that.
(Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty/CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor)
4. I’m only two bouts into the preliminary fights, and both of them have ended in guillotine submission. The awesome part was neither man gave up, they kept fighting to escape the hold until they passed out. Pretty exciting stuff for prelims.
(Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Jake O’Brien)
5. Jake O’Brien is Mr. Personality! Nothing screams charisma and sells tickets like a monotone voice, no facial expressions and generic statements such as “I’m gonna go in there and punch him in the face and lie him down on his back…”. This fight gets more exciting as time passes because Jones’ never ending “flashy” offense tires the hell out of O’Brien. Jonny Jones attempts a sexy spinning back-elbow, and missed it but still managed to clip O’Brien with his fist which was the beginning of the end. Jones is victorious after yet another guillotine submission. Whether they know it or not, every fighter is envious of Jon “Bones” Jones. All of them talk trash about how his flashy offense is not effective, but you don’t have to have each strike connect for an offense to be effective! Jones has amazing conditioning, and while throwing spinning kick after spinning back-elbow, he’s tiring his opponent out which is just as effective as landing a weak strike. Jones will sell tickets… bank on it.
(Stephan Bonner vs. Mark Coleman)
6. I didn’t notice it until this fight, but the new “Tale of the Tape” HD Presentation really stands out and improves the overall product. It’s somewhat depressing to see Coleman in high-definition; you can see every scar and every wrinkle the man has.
(Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping)
7. If somebody told me that I had to watch the last ten seconds of this fight for a whole day, I would have absolutely no problem with that. They didn’t censor Bisping’s cornerman ripping him a new arse-hole for having such a pathetic first round, which is pretty awesome. The fact that he was yelling at him in a British accent made it that much more intense and interesting. WOW! The combination of the knockout punch, Bisping’s head cracking on the canvas and the bonus punch on Blu-Ray made my head hurt and my stomach churn.
(Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves for the UFC Welterweight Title)
8. I think this was the biggest letdown of the event, but it sure as hell was a dominant performance by Georges St. Pierre. This was supposed to be his biggest challenge since regaining the UFC Welterweight Title and he embarrassed Alves while taking him down at will.
(Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir for the UFC Heavyweight Title)
9. I remember being nervous for Lesnar in his first three fights, but after his dominant victory over Randy Couture I stopped getting butterflies before his fight. I knew he was going to dominate Mir at 100, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as gruesome as it was. This was a complete embarrassment for Mir for a couple reasons: He called Lesnar’s punches girl punches, and he came out to Kanye West’s “Amazing”, which he was not. Seeing Mir’s face at the end of the fight was my feel-good moment of the decade… he looked like a monster from The Hills Have Eyes!
Final Thought: Go buy this Blu-Ray today! This is arguably one of the best cards of 2009. You had Hendo’s knockout of the year, Lesnar’s dominant performance, Georges St. Pierre’s dominant performance, a very bloody fight in Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman and awesome submission victories! If you noticed, this is presented in 1080i which is not a whole lot different from 720p (if you ordered the PPV in HD, you got it in 720p). Although the difference is barely noticeable between the two, the picture is still amazing. The sound, on the other hand, is improved tenfold from what you heard on the PPV, whether you ordered the event in high-def or standard-def. Each punch, each takedown, each Bisping’s head/canvas bounce is heard AND felt. Hands down, the best Blu-Ray UFC has released in terms of presentation. Looks like the switch to Anchor Bay Entertainment was for the best. You can get it at Best Buy’s website for $24.99, but first check your local Best Buy as mine was selling it for $14.99.
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