It’s the stuff dreams are made of, two of the top heavyweight MMA fighters in the history of the sport finally facing off against each other, and it finally happened when “The Natural” Randy Couture squared off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with Brandon Vera taking on Kryzysztof Soszynski in a light heavyweight contest. Vera has done really well since stepping down a division, and this was another great example of that. The Polish Experiment tried to stay up with Vera, but as the fight progressed Vera proved to be both technically and tactically better than Soszynski, so when the fight went the three round limit it came as no surprise when Vera got the unanimous decision, and rightfully so.

Middleweight action, with Chris Leben facing former WEC star Jake Rosholt, followed. Leben was the home town hero in this one, and was looking for a convincing win. Sadly, things didn’t go to plan. Leben showed some good skill, particularly on the ground, but I guess someone didn’t send Rosholt a copy of the script as, in the third round, he locked in an arm triangle. Leben tapped, but for some reason the referee didn’t see this, and he only stopped the fight when Leben slipped into unconsciousness. This tapped off a very impressive display from Rosholt, who looks like he could go far in the division.

The big boys came out to play next with Tim Hague and Todd Duffee in the heavyweight division. This was a quick one. A Duffee left sent Hague crashing down to the mat. Duffee went in for the kill, and the referee quickly stepped in when Hague was knocked out. The official time - just seven seconds, a new UFC knockout record.

The feature light heavyweight clash followed, with Keith Jardine facing Thiago Silva. This was another one that was relatively quick. Both guys got in their shots before Silva sent Jardine down with a left hook. The Brazilian went in for the ground and pound, with the referee quickly calling a halt to proceedings, giving Silva the victory. I’m now left to wonder just where Jardine will got in the UFC’s marquee division.

Filler material in the form of Ed Herman taking on Aaron Simpson at middleweight followed. This was another great match up that had a rather unfortunate ending. Both men put in a great account of themselves, in particular Simpson, who definitely looks like a star in the making. However, when Simpson scored with a takedown late in the first round, Herman suffered a knee injury, and even though the doctors checked him over between rounds, Herman insisted on going on with the fight. He lasted just a few seconds of the next round. After Simpson caught his right kick attempt, Herman crumpled to the ground clutching his knee, and the referee stopped the fight immediately, giving Simpson the win. It’s a shame that the fight had to end this way, but who knows, when Herman’s back up and running we might see these two go at it again.

Then it was on to the main event, the dream match, pitting Randy Couture against Antonio Nogueira. This is the kind of fight that makes you feel great about being an MMA fan. It looked like it was going to end early, with Nogueira locked in an arm choke, but releasing the hold when he realised he wasn’t going to get the submission. It was a statement of intent for the rest of the fight, a truly wonderful encounter with the Brazilian once again proving just why he’s one of the best heavyweights in the history of MMA, and even though you knew he was winning, you couldn’t help but hope that Couture would somehow come out on top, finding that one big punch or move that would give him victory. But sadly, the sentimental favourite just didn’t do enough for the judges, who gave the unanimous decision to Nogueira. It’s a shame that this wasn’t fought over five rounds. Perhaps the Natural would have been able to fight his way back then.

The final fight of the show saw more filler material, a lightweight battle between Marcus Aurelio and Evan Dunham. This was the proverbial game of two halves as it were. Dunham looked great in the stand-up game early on, and his defence against Aurelio’s take downs was top notch. With both men having their moments in the second, the third proved vital for Aurelio, who finally asserted his ground game, with the fight ending with both men exchanging blows. In the end the judges gave the split decision to Aurelio, a decision you can’t really argue with, although it really could have gone either way.

In conclusion - a very good show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship here. Of course, everyone will be talking about the Couture/Nogueira fight, but from top to bottom this was a very strong card, another example of just why the UFC are the best they are at what they do.

ESPN’s handling of the event was a vast improvement on last month’s outing. We still had commercial breaks, but instead of putting them in between the rounds, they saw sense and put them in between the fights. Goldberg and Rogan were still cut off in mid-sentence at times, but this time we were able to see what was happening in the corners between the rounds.

So in all, well done UFC, and to ESPN. Let’s hope that Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort can continue the good work in a few weeks.

Following their return to British television last month, Ultimate Challenge  UK presented their second show on Sky Sports this past Saturday night with Payback, held at The Troxy in London and shown on a seven day delay, mixing UK1 kickboxing bouts with mixed martial arts encounters. Dave O'Donnell and O.J. Borg presented the show, with Malcolm Martin and Rob Nutley handling commentary duties.

First up was a fight fought under UK1 kickboxing rules, with Azran Quasio facing Jason Young for the UK1 Lightweight title. These stand-up fights are proving to be a great addition to these shows. Fought over three two minute rounds, this one proved to be quite lively, with Young dominating the first two rounds with his superior work rate, although he stepped off the pedal a little bit in the third, perhaps realising that he'd won the fight by then. It really came as no surprise that Young took the unanimous decision, deservedly winning the vacant title.

The rest of the broadcast saw MMA action, beginning with Ashley Pollard facing Ian Hawkins in the heavyweight division. Certainly not the prettiest fight I've ever seen. Pollard began by attempting a couple of high kicks, but it wasn't long before they were on the ground. Hawkins went for a guillotine, but Pollard was able to escape, and it wasn't long before Pollard tried a guillotine of his own. Then, after a period of inactivity, the referee stood the fighters up, and during a rather ugly exchange in which both fighters were swinging for the trees Pollard got the better of Hawkins, and as Hawkins turned his back, a bloodied mess, and began to move away from Pollard, the referee stepped in to stop the fight, giving Pollard the TKO win. Well, I guess a win is a win, not matter how ugly the fight was.

Lightweight action followed, with Danny Fletcher taking on Wesley Johnson. Now this was a lot better. Some nice grappling at the beginning saw both men jockeying for position, before Johnson quickly applied a jumping triangle choke for the submission win. Nice action here, showing the beauty after we'd had the best.

Then it was up to the light heavyweight division, and Shaun Lomas taking on Jamie Hearn. A very exciting and back and forth fight saw both men put in a good account for themselves. Hearn looked very impressive with his combinations, while Lomas looked great on the ground. The pace slowed down as the round went on, and after the fighters were stood up for inactivity on the ground, Lomas locked in standing guillotine, which Hearn was unable to escape from, tapping out seconds later. Great fight this, and I wouldn't mind seeing these two in the future.

Then it was on to title action, with Dave Lee challenging Brad Pickett for the Featherweight title. Once again Pickett showed what a great fighter he was. Lee dominated the early parts of the round, scoring with the first take down and showing some good work on the ground. But it wasn't long before Pickett gained the upper hand, synching in a guillotine choke for the submission win, retaining his title with a good comeback performance.

The last fight of the show saw Luke Blyth challenge Jimi Manuwa for the Light Heavyweight title. The first fight of the broadcast to have any sort of feeling out process saw Manuwa dominate the first round, getting the first take down of the fight and controlling the action with his superior ground and pound, opening up a couple of cuts around Blyth's eyes. Blyth came back well in the second, putting together some good combinations, and almost getting the win with a triangle choke, but the referee standing them up was the beginning of the end for the challenger. Manuwa connected with a hard left hook, and Blyth went down like the proverbial sack of spuds, completely out of it, giving Manuwa the knockout win. A very good fight, and definitely the best one on the show.

In conclusion - UCUK's combination of kickboxing and mixed martial arts fights has once again made for a good show. It's not the best Dave O'Donnell show I've seen, but there wasn't bad fight to be found here though. I did find the editing a little off putting though, as it seemed to jump about quite a bit, especially during the fighter entrances. I hope that the powers-that-be do something to rectify this for next month's show, because with BAMMA having gone out of business without actually telling anyone, Ultimate Challenge UK have a great chance of cementing their place as Britain's top MMA promotion, especially as they're now the only British promotion with regular television coverage.

After much wrangling since the demise of Setanta Sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has finally found a new home on British television with ESPN, who began their coverage with UFC 101: Declaration, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning, with Anderson Silva taking on Forrest Griffin, and Kenny Florian challenging B.J. Penn for the Lightweight title. As always, commentary is handled by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

The broadcast began with Josh Neer facing Kurt Pellegrino in the lightweight division. A very good fight to begin the show with. Fought mainly on the ground, both men showed some good work throughout. Pellegrino spent most of the fight on top, although Neer was able to put up a good fight from the bottom, going for a few submissions. However, as the fight went on, it looked like Pellegrino was getting the upper hand, especially as Neer only got on top in the last thirty seconds of the third round. The judges decision - all in favour of Pellegrino.

The action continued in the middleweight division, with Kendall Grove taking on Ricardo Almeida. The second good fight in a row gave us a good performance from Almeida, who dominated for the most part, especially in the first two rounds, as he was able to take Grove down at will. The only thing of note Grove really did in those rounds as an arm bar attempt. Grove came back a little in the third as Almeida began to visibly tire, but another take down once again showed how dominant he was. The judges saw it that way as well, with Almeida getting the unanimous decision.

Fight three went down a division to welterweight, with Amir Sadollah and Johny Hendricks. The blink and you'll miss it affair. Both guys swung early, and a series on left uppercuts on the inside sent Sadollah down. The referee stepped in immediately, giving Hendricks the TKO win, although some would say that the stoppage came in a little too early, and having seen the replays, I would have to agree.

Then it was back down to the lightweight division, with Shane Nelson going up against Aaron Riley. A dominating performance from Riley saw him outfight Nelson in every department, in the stand-up game, in the clinch and on the ground. Nelson just seemed happy to hang in there, and although this was a good enough fight, it's a shame that a few morons in the crowd decided to try and ruin things by starting a fight of their own. Thankfully this didn't distract Riley and Nelson as they went the distance, with Riley getting the unanimous decision in what was a very enjoyable fight.

Main event time #1, the fight I was really looking forward to, with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva stepping up to light heavyweight to take on Forrest Griffin. Silva needed a big victory going into this one, especially given his last two highly criticised performances. He certainly got it with this fight. For the first time in ages, Silva looked highly aggressive, and after being rocked twice in quick succession, Griffin began to look like a beaten men. Then, with what Joe Rogan described as a "walking away right hand", Silva floored Griffin for a third time. Griffin was out, and Silva had his second win at light heavyweight with a tremendous performance, with Griffin running out of the octagon as soon as he was able to.

Main event time #2, with Kenny Florian challenging B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Like SIlva before him, Penn was another fighter who needed a big win, following his loss to Georges St-Pierre in the Welterweight title fight. This proved to be a very interesting fight, certainly worthy of it's main event status, between two evenly matched fighters. Some good work from both men here, with Florian trying to take Penn down several times, and Penn showing some great take down defence. Then, in the fourth round, Penn took control, scoring with a take down and going for the ground and pound. As Florian tried to escape, Penn took his back and synched in a rear naked choke. Florian tapped moments later, retaining his title and ending a good performance. One couldn't help but feel sorry for Florian though, one of the best and hardest working fighters in the UFC right now.

With a few minutes left to spare, some filler material, further action from the lightweight division as George Sotiropoulos faced George Roop. A very good fight to end the show with. Sotiropoulos put in a tremendous performance. Whenever the fight went to the ground the Australian fighter was able to transition at will, and after dominating the first round, he did exactly the same in the second, and it wasn't long before he'd locked in a kimura for the submission win. This is one fighter I'd like to see again.

In conclusion - another tremendous show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, once again proving that they're the best they are at what they do. The two marquee matches certainly delivered, with the under card fights proving to be more than able support features. Which makes me think, who needs that Russian guy everyone's talking about at the moment?

As for ESPN's handling of the show, well, that was a little disappointing. While I can understand why they'd want to sell advertising during the show, they often cut away while messrs Goldberg and Rogan were in mid-sentence, and often cut back in precisely the same manner. It made the overall broadcast look a little messy at times, and one can hope that perhaps they'll take a look at the way Sky Sports handle WWE pay-per-views, and leave things how they are in the future.

With UFC 101 just a few days away, I thought it would be a good idea to once again delve into their past, following up my reviews of UFC 1 & 2 with UFC 3: The American Dream. Held in September 1994, this was the show that was meant to feature the re-match between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, but things didn't exactly go to plan.

For the third tournament the powers that be returned to their original format, an eight man single elimination tournament.

The quarter-finals began with sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarbrough facing kempo karate fighter Keith Hackney. Yarbrough had a massive 416 pound weight advantage. This was actually better than I thought it would be. Hackney knocked the big man down early with a right hand, but Yarbrough quickly came back with some good strikes, and his attack soon sent Hackney crashing through the cage. When the fight re-started, Hackney began to stick and move, and it wasn't long before Yarbrough was on the ground again, and as Hackney went in for the kill, Yarbrough gave up.

Then it was on to the returning Ken Shamrock, taking on judoka Christophe Leininger. As was expected, this one went to the ground early, and Leininger did a good job of controlling Shamrock from his back, but it wasn't long before Shamrock exerted his control, taking Leininger's back, before taking the mount, and after delivering a couple of blows, the judo man tapped out. The announcers said before hand that this was going to be good, and they were right.

Next up, muay thai kick boxer Roland Payne against karate fighter Harold Howard. The proverbial blink and you'll miss it affair. A couple of shots were thrown, a brief bit of grappling on the ground, before Howard connected with a right, with Payne falling to the ground like a sack of spuds. The time, just forty six seconds, and it certainly was an action packed forty six seconds.

The final quarter-final saw defending champion Royce Gracie face tae kwon do fighter Kimo Leopoldo. Kimo's entrance was extraordinary, as he came to the octagon carrying a giant crucifix. This was by far Gracie's toughest UFC fight at the time, and the best fight of the quarter finals. Kimo took it to him from the start, using his power advantage to stop Gracie from using his skills, and he did a good job of it, but eventually Gracie began to win through, and near the five minute mark Gracie locked on an arm bar for the submission win, although after the fight it was Gracie who looked like the beaten man.

On to the semi-finals, beginning with Ken Shamrock against shao-lin kung fu fighter Felix Lee Mitchell, replacing the injured Keith Hackney. Given his credentials, Shamrock was expected to breeze through this one, and although he controlled the majority of the fight, he didn't have it all his own way, because Mitchell had one thing on his mind - survival. But once it went down to the ground at the four minute mark, it wasn't long before Shamrock took Mitchell's back and synched in a rear naked choke, with Mitchell tapping out almost immediately. Unfortunately for Shamrock, like Royce Gracie before him, he didn't look too healthy afterwards as he began limping badly straight away.

The second semi-final didn't actually happen. Although both Harold Howard and Royce Gracie came to the octagon, Gracie looked like a beaten man already. The introductions were made, but Gracie's corner quickly threw the towel in, and Howard was declared the winner. Then, in an extraordinary scene, Kimo came back out, and claimed victory after Gracie's withdrawal.

So after the drama with Gracie, it was soon announced that Ken Shamrock was also withdrawing because of injury, meaning that the final would now be contested by Harold Howard and the second alternate, ninjitsu fighter Steve Jennum. This certainly gave the tournament an interesting ending. Howard almost got the submission with a guillotine choke, but Jennum managed to escape, and it wasn't long before they were back on the ground, and after a couple of blows from the mount, Howard tapped, giving the win to the alternate.

In conclusion - boy, was this a crazy show. It was full of good fights, but the withdrawals of both Gracie and Shamrock, and to a lesser extent Keith Hackney certainly shook things up. So was Steve Jennum a deserving champion? My answer would have to be no, but if things had been better organised, then perhaps Harold Howard would have stood a better chance if Jennum had already fought earlier in the evening.

In November 1995, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship was still in it’s infancy, a new mixed martial arts promotion held their first show. The company, known as Extreme Fighting, only held four events. With the popularity of MMA growing in the last few years, the four volumes that were previously released on VHS were later released in a one disc DVD set, at a very reasonable price. So, having had this for quite a while now, and having recently looked back at a couple of old UFC shows, I thought it would be a good idea to finally give this a look-see.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 1
The show begins with one of the many Gracie brothers, Ralph, taking on Makoto Muraoko (although there’s actually no introduction for him). This was a quick one. It quickly went to the ground, where Gracie quickly took control, taking Muraoko’s back, and synching in a rear naked choke. The Japanese fighter didn’t tap, and the referee stopped the fight when he saw that Muraoko was unconscious. Well, it’s the sort of thing you expect from the Gracies, isn’t it?

Next up was Igor Zinoviev against Harold German. Another quick fight saw Zinoviev knock German down early, going in for the kill first with a knee bar attempt, which German managed to escape from, and then with a relentless ground and pound, which German soon tapped out to. So far there’s been just eighty-six seconds of fight action.

Then it was on to Gary Myers against Tom Glanville. This one lasted longer than the first two fights combined, and saw a dominating performance from Myers. After escaping from a triangle attempt early on, Myers quickly got back on top, putting his elbow on the side of Glanville’s head. That particular move almost won him the match, but it was only when Myers rained in a few head butts that Glanville tapped out. A very good performance from Myers.

Gracie student Mario Sperry was next, facing Rudyard Moncayo. You could see that Sperry was a Gracie student from the opening bell, as he quickly used a leg trip to take Moncayo down to the mat. He immediately went for an arm lock, but it wasn’t long before Moncayo reversed positions and took Sperry’s guard - for about three seconds. Sperry was soon back on top, and after a brief flurry of punches Moncayo was tapping. Nice stuff by Perry, but I had the feeling that as soon as they said he was a Gracie student that he was going to win.

The next fight saw Conan Silveira facing Russian fighter Victor Tatarkin, also in this unknown tournament. More Brazilian domination saw Silveira take Tatarkin down early on, and from there he transitioned at will, almost getting a rear naked choke, before taking the back again and unleashing with the ground and pound, with the Russian’s corner throwing the towel in to end the onslaught. This one looked absolutely brutal.

Silveira then made a quick return, facing Gary Myers, making me think that this was actually a part of a tournament, which wasn’t actually announced on this DVD. This was the most even fight on the show so far. It soon went to the ground, and for the first time a Brazilian was on the defensive with Myers taking the guard and going to work. The fight was stopped briefly so the doctors could check on the cuts that the fighters had sustained. This gave Conan the chance he needed to recover, as he soon locked in a standing guillotine choke, with Myers quickly tapping out. We then saw an official give Silveira a title belt, so I guess this was a tournament after all.

And as it turns out, there were actually two tournaments in this show, with Igor Zinoviev and Mario Sperry returning to action in a middleweight final. The Brazilian dominance of the show ended with this fight. Sperry did well again here, and looked great in the mount, but Zinoviev did what nobody expected he would do, and escaped Sperry’s mount. The Russian was soon back on his back, but this time he went for a guillotine choke, which ultimately was unsuccessful. Sperry regained control, and once again looked like he was going to dominate again, until Zinoviev reversed the positions again. Both fighters then got to their feet, with Zinoviev holding on to the cage while Sperry tried to work. After a few moments of this, the fight went back to the ground, and a Zinoviev knee opened up a nasty cut above Sperry’s left eye. The doctor had no choice but to stop the fight, giving the fight and title to the Russian. Definitely the best fight of the first show.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 2
This one began with Jean Riviere facing future UFC star Carlos Newton. Newton was giving away a massive seventy five pound weight advantage, fighting at 205, a lot more than his title winning weight in the UFC. Newton actually did very well here, but in the end Riviere’s weight advantage was too much. While Newton showed some good jiu-jitsu moves, Riviere spent much of the time on top of Newton’s back, firing in the occasional knee. Then, about seven minutes in, Newton had had enough. Fatigue set in, and he tapped out. Good stuff here, very interesting.

Then it was on to the Heavyweight title fight, with Conan Silveira taking on Carl Franks. This one exploded into life after a minute or so, when Conan unleashed with a torrent of blows that rocked Franks, with the referee quickly stepping in and stopping the bout, much to the annoyance of Franks, although I could see why the referee stepped in. Quick stuff, and another example of how the jiu-jitsu guys were kind of dominant back then.

Next up, we skip forward to Extreme Fighting’s third show, with Eric Paulson against Matt Hume. By this time all fights were contested over three five minute rounds, or “phases” as they were called, instead of a straight fifteen minute fight. A very good and enjoyable fight. The first phase was fought mainly on the ground, with both men having opportunities to finish it via submission. The second phase saw both fighters using the stand up game, with both fighters getting in some good shots. The third phase lasted just over a minute. Paulson quickly sustained a deep cut right in the middle of his forehead, with the doctor stopping the fight. A very good fight, but a shame it had to stop in the way it did.

The next fight saw Ali Mihoubi challenging Lightweight Champion Ralph Gracie. As is the Gracie custom, this one went to the ground early. Gracie quickly went for the ground and pound, before locking in the ground and pound. Another dominating performance, and I couldn’t help but feel that Mihoubi didn’t really stand a chance.

After that quick fight, it was on to Anthony Macias against Allan Goes. Goes was unable to keep up the Brazilian tradition of instant take downs, although he was able to get past Macias’ defence soon afterwards. Goes then went for the ground and pound, and he would have probably got the win had he not gone for a head butt or a fish hook, both of which had been outlawed after the first show. Goes soon reasserted his control, taking Macias down again, but then we got a somewhat confusing ending. After Goes used another head butt, Macias verbally submitted just as the referee was about to warn Goes again. Macias thought the referee had disqualified Goes, and those in attendance weren’t exactly too happy with Goes’ conduct, and I can see why, especially as Goes and his entourage celebrated like he’d won a world title.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 3
Only three fights on this particular volume, all from their third show, beginning with John Lober challenging Igor Zinoviev for the Middleweight Championship. The first fight on the collection to go the distance saw a very good first two rounds, with both guys looking good, but as the fight went on Zinoviev showed his superior ground game, simply smothering Lober, using a tactic that would have seen the referee stand the fighters up a few years later. By the time the third round started both fighters looked exhausted, and they spent the last five minutes exchanging combinations, although they spent a great deal of time just squaring up to each other. So with no judges, the fight was declared a draw, which meant that Zinoviev retained his title. A very solid technical fight, and very enjoyable as well.

Next up, Murakami Kazunari against Bart Vale. Vale had a near thirty pound weight advantage in this one, but it didn’t count for much as Kazunari dominated for the most part. Vale’s only real offence was a straight armbar attempt, countering Kazunari’s standing rear waist lock. The Japanese fighter soon took the fight to the ground, taking Vale’s back, going for a rear naked choke, as well as getting off a few strikes. Vale was soon able to stand up though, and got off a couple of blows before Kazunari exploded with some shots of his own, knocking Vale down with a big left, and following him down for the ground and pound, and with Vale unable to defend himself, the referee stepped in. A very impressive performance from Kazunari here.

Then it was on to Maurice Smith challenging Conan Silviera for the Heavyweight Championship. Conan had had it pretty much his own way in his previous two fights, but came up against a very strong opponent in Smith here. The first round saw Conan on top on the ground, but Smith was soon able to reverse things, taking the mount and putting in some good work, although he received a warning from the referee for head butting. Smith’s kick boxing pedigree came out in the second as he out punched and out kicked Conan, although the Brazilian did manage to tie him up in a clinch against the cage a couple of times. Round three didn’t last that long. After another brief clinch against the cage, Smith rolled off a couple of leg kicks, but a high right kick hit Conan hard on the side of his head. The Brazilian staggered, and the referee quickly stepped in and stopped the fight, revealing a few seconds later that Conan was virtually unconscious. Smith was awarded the knockout win, and the Heavyweight title in a very good fight.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 4
As with Volume 3, this features just three fights, beginning with Todd Bjornthun going up against Allan Goes. The proverbial blink and you’ll miss it affair. Bjornthun went for a left jab, the fight went down to the mat, and Goes quickly locked in a triangle choke for the submission win. Definitely a lot better than Goes’ last performance, and he certainly got a better reception from the crowd here.

Next up, Paul Jones versus Erik Paulson. A very good fight between two evenly matched men, a back and forth affair. Jones began the fight strongly, using a suplex to take Paulson down, and spending the remainder of the first round in the guard. The second round was a little more even. Jones again showed some good grappling while controlling the fight on the ground, although Paulson went for a couple of submissions, and looked like he was going to succeed a couple of times as well. It was the same in the third round as it was in the second, only with the roles reversed as Paulson seemed to have the edge as far as submission attempts were concerned. But with the fight going the distance, and no judges, the fight was declared a draw. If it had been held today, then Jones may have just edged it.

The final fight of the collection saw John Lober taking on Kevin Jackson. They definitely saved the best for last here. Jackson, the former Olympic wrestler making his MMA debut, took Lober down early and dominated him throughout the round. In fact he punched Lober so hard that he damaged his right glove, so there was an even longer gap between the rounds while his corner men went back to the dressing room to get a replacement. The extra rest didn’t do Lober any good. Jackson began the second round in the way that he’d begun the first, taking Lober down to the ground, and locking in an arm choke for the submission win a minute or so later. An outstanding performance from Jackson here, and as I said this was definitely the best fight on the DVD.

In conclusion - this certainly is a very interesting release. Fight wise it really can’t be faulted. There’s some good action on this DVD, and it’s also a good way to see just how much the sport has changed in the fourteen years since Extreme Fighting had their short run.

Production wise, it’s more polished than the old UFC shows I reviewed recently. From the beginning the announcers knew what they were talking about, unlike their counterparts in UFC 1. However, some of the editing was awful. For instance, in Volume 1 there were a couple of fights where the introductions were cut completely. I actually had to look in the results section of Clyde Gentry’s No Holds Barred book to find out who some of these guys were. I also found out from his book that there actually was a four man tournament to crown the first heavyweight champion, but it was difficult to tell this, given the way that Volume 1 was edited. Also, in Volume 2, there’s an interview with a fighter whose fight isn’t even shown. Thankfully, the editing gets a lot better with Volumes 3 and 4.

So in all, if you’re willing to put up with these problems, then you may want to get a copy of this release. It’s available from most of the online stores such as Amazon and Play, and for a very reasonable price. It’s a valuable piece of MMA history from an all but forgotten promotion, and who knows, perhaps one day they’ll eventually release these shows unedited. I’d definitely be interested in getting them!