It was a main event that was supposed to be one of the most evenly matched main events in recent times. Could Jon Fitch take the UFC Welterweight title from Georges St. Pierre? The main event of this DVD was hardly a classic, but it was a good fight that cemented GSP’s status as the number one welterweight in the world.

Controlling the ground well, the Canadian dominated the fight from start to finish despite a courageous performance from the challenger. Fitch, who had been on a great winning streak going into the fight, did himself and his fans proud and it was only GSP’s fantastic cardio and wrestling skill on the mat that separated the two fighters.

The fight is certainly worth watching for those who haven’t see it as of yet. It’s a fight that clearly highlights GSP’s dominance in the UFC and is a perfect argument as to why the champion should be regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet.

In the nights other action, Brock Lesnar showed the MMA world why he is certainly not a fighter to be underestimated after a dominating performance over PRIDE veteran Heath Herring. Lesnar, who was coming off the back of a disappointing submission defeat to Frank Mir, showed great velocity from the beginning and started the fight with some ferocious shots to the temple of Herring. It was the start of something special for Lesnar, who continued to dominate throughout the fight.

It may have not been a 5* fight, but it was one that Brock will never forget as he picked up his first victory inside the Octagon. It was the victory that set him up for his title fight with Randy Couture.

So, why else should you buy the DVD? Well, there weren’t a huge number of classic fights, but there were some good performances that catapulted some of the fighters into the limelight. Take Kenny Florian’s unanimous decision victory over Roger Huerta. It wasn’t one for the history books, but for me, it was one that showed the world why Kenny Florian is one of the top lightweight fighters in the world. A great performance from a solid fighter.

You can also look at Demian Maia’s important submission victory for Jason MacDonald that ignited the belief that the Brazilian could be a champion in the future.

The main card was completed by Rob Emerson’s knockout victory over Manny Gamburyan inside the first twelve seconds. Emerson, who was the heavy underdog going into the fight, landed a thunderous right hand that knocked Gamburyan to the canvas instantly. It was picture perfect and sent shock waves around the arena. If you’re a fan of the big knockouts, then you have to see this.

In the preliminary fights, Cheick Kongo bounced back from a split decision loss to Heath Herring by dominating Dan Evensen. Taking the victory in the first round, Kongo showed exactly why he should be considered as a top heavyweight in the company.

There were also good performances from Ben Saunders, Tamdan McCrory and Chris Wilson. The main card might have been slightly better than the prelims, but it’s still worth watching.

The extra features on this DVD are highly entertaining. We get our usual behind the scenes features as well as the weigh-in and the countdown show. They’re always nice pieces to the UFC DVD’s and certainly maintain interest. I always find the weigh-in pieces a little bit pointless as it often comes across as rushed, but the DVD definitely makes up with the behind the scenes footage as the fighters prepare for battle.

Overall, I thought the DVD was great. Of course, the UFC can only work with that they’ve been given, and while there are no classic fights on the card, I felt it was a good event for your average MMA fan. If people are buying this DVD for the heavy knockouts and submissions then it might not be the DVD to buy, but if you want to watch the more technical aspects of MMA, then this is worth a watch. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I liked it. Another good effort from the UFC.

If you’re in the UK or Europe you can pick up a copy of UFC 87 via FightDVD by clicking here.

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com