UFC Presents The Ultimate Fighter - Season 1 (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)NOTE - This is reviewing the show only, as I have yet to see the Extra Features.
REVIEW
Now this is what reality television was meant to be. First off, the focus on what the show is about is dead-on. Sixteen men, who actually qualify to be here, are brought to train with and against each other in hopes of becoming a UFC fighter. The challenges, in which the winners gain the strategic advantage, are fun to watch and result in some good fights. The fights themselves would be worth the DVD alone, especially if they include the legendary Light-Heavyweight bout that finished the show (best of UFC ever!).
But with the fights come good drama, and none of it feels forced. You see, you will learn to love the competitors. You will appreciate the religion of Diego Sanchez, the cool style of Forrest Griffin, and the intelligence of Nathan Quarry. You will also meet some unpleasant fighters like the cocky Josh Koshcheck, the bitter Bobby Southworth, and the troubled Chris Leben. The important thing to note, though, is that even the semi-annoying fighters in the big house aren't unreasonably annoying. With their attitudes comes real emotions and skills that few of us possess. These men are not caricatures, but a magnificent study of how the imbalances of egos and skills clash both in and out of that intimidating octagonal arena.
The coaches are Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell (who fought 1 week after the show's finale), who are strong, wise, approachable, and skilled mixed-martial-artists. Both of these guys bring different but equally effective styles of coaching. Also present is UFC president Dana White. This guy is not executive hogwash. No, this man is not afraid to come down hard on the fighters, and speak bluntly about the 16 guys competing for those contracts. The only problem is that he doesn a little too much commentating with his interviews, but he is insightful and very smart.
What might the unintiated not like about this DVD collection?
Well, this is a show about fighting. If you don't really dig boxing or wrestling, then perhaps this isn't for you. It is a lot easier for me to recommend this First Season as a UFC fan, and martial-arts learner. But this show isn't about violence. The 16 fighters, the coaches, and Dana White all make it clear that UFC fighting is a job with no room for uncertainty. Professional fighting requires calculation, strategy, hard work, mental/emotional stability, and physical conditioning. I watched this entire season with a friend of mine who hates fighting, but she still grew to appreciate what these men do for a living, and loved that the unfit challengers didn't stick around very long.
This show exemplifies the perfect balance for reality TV. It's a competition, but it isn't too focused on being a game show. It's got lots of interviews and fighter-feedback, but is not too interested in the secret alliances or betrayals that have foreshadowed and ruined countless reality TV shows. The fights are good, but there is even intercut opinions to explain why the fighters did what they did in that ring, and why they were or were not smart with their game plan. The crew of this show took the time to edit enough so that fight-fans and martial artists could understand the terms and didn't get bored, and also enough so that newcomers didn't feel confused. I've always liked the UFC, but now I love it. This show has propelled the Ultimate Fighting Championship to new heights, and has rightfully earned its reputation. I'm not fond of reality TV that much (except for WWE's Tough Enough 1 and 2...see a connection here?), but "Ultimate Fighter" is an outstanding work of television, and has been followed by a good second season worthy of the franchise. This crew knows what its doing. I'll even go so far as to say that any fan of TV in general should check this DVD-set out. You want originality, emotional depth, hard-hitting competition, and non-censored television...you can have it all in one package! DO NOT PASS THIS UP!

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The Ultimate Fighter – Season 1 is a reality TV show where 16 contestants are trained by two legendary UFC competitors, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, and must live together while battling for a pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts.

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UFC 117: Silva v. Sonnen Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I get started; the commission has cut Chael Sonnen's suspension from one year to six months because of not properly disclosing (paperwork) the substances that he had been taking before, although it was his understanding that he had taken the appropriate measures to let the commission know. This means that all that those rumors regarding steroids that you might have been reading about on the internet are factually wrong.
Now, on to the review.
Top to bottom, this was an amazing card, possibly the best of 2010. The fights were important, and the fights were spectacular. I'll discuss the highlights and strategies implemented with the fighters on the main Card.
Junior Dos Santos vs Roy Nelson was an epic match. Junior's powerful striking kept Roy dazed for most of the fight. Nelson was dazed, but not finished. This is because of his good cover-up and the lack of disciplined striking from Dos Santos who has to learn proper footwork in order to deliver Cain Velasquez fashion knock outs to experienced fighters. It went all three rounds; three rounds of heart and technique utilized by both. No doubt a highlight reel for both fighters.
Matt Hughes vs Ricardo Almeida ended much faster. This fight was going to tell us how much Matt Hughes had left, and whether or not he had evolved with the sport. He shined in true fashion with a surprise ending. Too bad he didn't learn enough to combat "The Prodigy" BJ Penn in UFC 123. Excellent quick finish.
Clay Guida vs Raphael Dos Santos was nearly like the starting match. Guida is known for heart, cardio and a wild pace that few in his division can stand. Great back and forth battle while it lasted.
John Fitch vs Thiago Alves was perhaps the lowest point if action is all you were counting on. Dana White had issued a statement confirming the victorious fighter as the No. 1 contender for the welter weight title. (He has since retracted that decision, going with Josh Koscheck, who will fight George St. Pierre today in UFC 124). The fight went as predicted. Thiago was not able to learn enough wrestling defense to be a legitimate threat to George St. Pierre, and it seems the experience alone was not enough to save him from the second best wrestler in the division, John Fitch. Not as entertaining, but worthy of viewing to see why striking is not always the most important aspect.
Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
This was the epic of epic fights of this year; the undefeated Silva finally taking on a worthy and battle proven opponent, Chael Sonnen. Both are elite in their specialty; Silva with striking and grappling, and Chael with wrestling and boxing; and this is precisely what it came down to. The wrestler out grappled the Ju Jitsu practitioner for nearly five rounds, and what more, and surprisingly enough, Chael had the upper hand in the stand up department with his less than stellar (if you don't count that early monkey roll) but proper boxing form that caught Anderson in the first round. This was a battle of heart and technique; of two fighters in a grind through rounds, and neither giving up nor stalling to win for points. The surprise ending is sure to break a few hearts while others might cheer.
I don't know what more you can ask for in a card, because this has it all; Epic knock out, epic submissions, epic decision length battles.
A rematch was most likely going to be set for Chael and Anderson; however, one month later, instead of posting an official statement, the California Commission, released the information concerning Chael's failed post fight drug test to an MMA magazine. Chael was suspended for a year.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns on Saturday, August 7th, and fight fans will be treated to a world championship showdown between middleweight title holder and pound for pound king Anderson The Spider Silva, and number one challenger Chael Sonnen. Silva has dominated the 185-pound division since 2006, but in Sonnen, he may be meeting the one man with the style and determination to unseat him from the throne. Also in action will be welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago Pitbull Alves square off in their long-awaited rematch, and welterweight legend Matt Hughes takes on jiu-jitsu wizard Ricardo Big Dog Almeida.Bonus features include Behind the Scenes, Countdown to UFC 117, Weigh-In Special, UFC.com. Also includes Spanish commentary.

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