A DVD that features the most popular fighter from the UK is always going to get a thumbs up on this side of the pond.

Here, Michael Bisping takes on Chris Leben in a fight that was originally scheduled to take place at UFC 85. On that occasion, Leben couldn’t make the fight having been forced to spend thirty five days behind bars. However, at UFC 89 the two were to collide in a highly anticipated bout.

The problem with this DVD isn’t so much the quality that the UFC puts into it, it’s simply a case of the card being let down by some weak fighters and poor fights. The preliminary fights on this card are poor and some are so unfairly matched that it was laughable that they happened in the first place. In particular, I look at the fight between Neil Wain and Shane Carwin, with the American having an eight inch reach advantage over the British heavyweight. It really doesn’t matter than Wain is the crowd favourite, that sort of disadvantage will not help anyone.

Another thing that really bothered me was the removal of fighter’s entrances from the DVD. Therefore, we get no Akihiro Gono entrance. Now, I’m not in a position to criticise the UFC for this, but when you take away these sorts of entertaining, interesting and at times, spine tingling moments, then it really does let the DVD down. Of course, MMA fans will know that Gono dances on his way to the cage and here, he dressed up as a woman. To me, that is a fantastic part of the event, but it’s cut out and we don’t see it. A very poor decision I felt and one that would’ve made the DVD better.

That aside, the DVD is decent. The main card is filled with several UK fighters and the action is generally good. Paul Taylor takes on Chris Lytle in an intriguing fight in the welterweight division and you also have Paul Kelly coming up against Marcus Davis at 170lbs.

You also have to look at the fights between Luis Cane and Sokodjou and Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera, to see that the UFC have tried to stack the main card with some good fights. The former might very well impress more than the latter in this instance, but there’s certainly a fair share of big name fighters on the card.

The main event – Bisping against Leben – might not be a memorable fight or even one that deserves highlight reel status, but it delivers a solid bout that keeps fans of both fighters on their toes. Bisping, who is clearly carrying the weight of the UK on his shoulders as he takes on Leben, somewhat dominates the fight with the judges, however the fight is a close one and you’ll have to watch yourself to find out just how close Leben was from taking the victory.

The extra features on this DVD are the usual ones you would expect with any UFC product. We get the UFC weigh-in’s, the countdown show, highlights from UFC.com and behind the scenes footage. I was surprised there wasn’t any more to be honest. Dana White gave an honest and open Q&A session before the weigh-in that would’ve been nice for the DVD. We were also missing any indication from the company that this was a PPV in the UK. The UFC could’ve easily filmed a day documentary inside the Wolfslair for the day.

That aside, the features did exactly what they do every month. There’s something quite refreshing about watching our main event fighters before their big day, but I can’t help looking at the clock as the footage continues. Simply, it becomes boring very quickly.

Overall, this DVD is let down by a lack of common sense. I want to see interviews, pre-fight build up, entrances and the odd other bit or two. When the DVD gives me just the fights on the main disc, I find it very disheartening and clearly, it has stopped the UFC from broadening their horizon. By offering more, more people might be tempted to buy this DVD.

I’d say save your money unless you want to continue your collection. The five star performances could be counted on one hand and it comes across as the UFC trying to fill their PPV numbers with a card, rather than putting any real effort into it. It might be worth getting the lads round to watch, but if you want this for keeps, then I really wouldn’t bother.

For more on the DVD and to pick up a copy, visit FightDVD.

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com