With a main event that features two of the in-form light-heavyweights in the world, UFC 86 is certainly one that is a must for every MMA fans collection. Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin may have had a friendly rivalry on the set of The Ultimate Fighter, but there was certainly no love lost once the cage door closed before their historic battle for the title.

It was a fight that had almost everything. A little bit of controversy, some awesome stand-up and a few decent submissions. This is one of those fights that will be remembered three or four years from now. Griffin looked superb and showed why he is up there with some of the best in the weight class in the world. Of course, you’ll have to buy the DVD to see just how it unfolds but it is certainly worth the price of this DVD.

Griffin showed some good dominance in the fight, controlled the stand-up well and restricted Jackson from showing too much of his trademark aggression. The fighters are expected to headline another card later this year in a fight that will no doubt be another cracker.

The undercard was just as solid. With fights such as Ricardo Almeida versus Patrick Cote, Josh Koscheck versus Chris Lytle and Joe Stevenson versus Gleison Tibau, you can guarantee the action will be just as fast-paced and technical.

The Lytle/Koscheck battle in particular is a highlight fight of the DVD. In one of the bloodiest brawls ever in the UFC, Chris Lytle put in a performance that had Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg comparing the fighter to something out of a film. A gusty performance from a very talented fighter and one that left me wondering how the fight was never stopped.

Throw in names such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Melvin Guillard and Cole Miller on the preliminary card and you have some more decent fights that add to the DVD. It might be worth looking out for Gonzaga on the card as he once again shows the sort of form that made him one of the most feared heavyweights in the world at one point. His fight against Justin McCully is one that he took on quick notice (Frank Mir was originally set to fight McCully) and it comes with very impressive results.

One thing I loved about this DVD was the bonus disc of features, which included the weigh-in and a short documentary following the cards four main fighters – Jackson, Almedia, Cote and Griffin. It’s very rare, particularly here in the UK, to follow these documentaries that follow the fighters before the big day arrives. It’s almost like we get an up close and personal feel to the fighter’s emotions before they go into battle. I really liked it and will definitely like to see more things like this.

Overall, I thought the DVD was good. It lacked several key things, particularly a solid card, but this had nothing to do with the production and overall quality of the DVD. In terms of that, it was really good. Of course, the big selling point to the DVD was the main event – and rightly so. It was, after all, one of the biggest fights in UFC history. A good DVD that is worth buying if you want to see Forrest Griffin at his very best. A top notch performance in a legendary main event.

If you’re in the UK or Europe, you can pick up a copy of UFC 86 via FightDVD by clicking here.

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com