Nothing beats a good bit of reality does it? Throw in the cage, two of the most charasmatic coaches in the world and the chance of a contract in the UFC and you have the perfect reality series. Well, not quite.

First impressions were good. Anything involving Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin for five discs is bound to be entertaining. We also have the added insentive that these guys will be fighting to get on the show. No longer content with giving fighters a chance for free, Dana White introduces thrity two fighters to our television. Sixteen fights will determine the sixteen fighters.

In a way, it’s brilliant. After the drizzle that was Ultimate Fighter 6 (and let’s face it, half of those fighters should never have been there), we are going to see sixteen of the very best Middleweights in the world. Again, it wasn’t exactly what it said on the tin.

For the best part, I couldn’t imagine none of these guys ever getting close to pushing Anderson Silva off his perch. Nor could I imagine any of them even worrying the likes of Dan Henderson, Thales Leites and Michael Bisping in that particular division.

But let’s give them there due. They could become superstars overnight.

And that’s what Amir Sadollah did. Going into the show with a 0-0 record, he upset the odds time and time again. It shouldn’t happen, but it did. After defeating Steve Byrnes, Gerald Harris, Matt Brown and then C.B. Dollaway twice, Sadollah created his own little bit of history.

But will he trouble the big boys one day in the UFC? Not a chance. The simple fact is, if Gerald Harris would have been a more experienced fighter, he could have finished off Sadollah no problem. But that was the luck Sadollah needed and fair play to him for stepping up to the plate.

There is an interesting bunch of fighters in this house. The likes of Matt Brown, Matt Riddle and Jesse Taylor feature, who all went on to have careers in the UFC after the show. Taylor went on to become the fighter of the series, blowing his shot at a contract when he was set for the final.

It’s a finale that needs watching again and again. How on earth Jesse Taylor managed to throw away his dream of becoming a UFC fighter is beyond belif. It’s almost film worthy. A guy so close to his dream blows it because of his alcohol problems. Of course, we later know that Taylor got his chance in the UFC (but would you believe it, he blew THAT opportunity also). The incident alone makes this DVD a certain Christmas stocking filler.

As mentioned earlier, Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin provide a lot of the entertainment in this series. The coaches challenge, in particular, provides a good bit of entertainment. One thing that I love however, is following how Rampage is outside of the cage. For fans who may not have seen how the former UFC Light-heavyweight champion is outside of the hostile environment of the cage, it is a bit of an eye opener. No wolf howls here folks.

Overall, it’s a great DVD. This may not be the best ever series of The Ultimate Fighter, but you will be hard pushed to put any future series in that bracket. It’s a format that has been done over and over. It will never be as exciting and ground-breaking as the first couple of efforts.

One thing this series does is keep you interested. If you’re a fan of these type of shows, then this is essential viewing. If you tend to not have much time on your hands, then this might be worth keeping to one side. You’ll want to keep watching after the first episode.

A great DVD with some interesting bonus features make this DVD a nice little present for Christmas. Watch how C.B. Dollaway, Matt Riddle and more get their break in the biggest MMA company in the world. It’ll be worth watching!

You can buy this now in time for Christmas from FightDVD.co.uk!

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com