Review of "UFC 75: Champion vs Champion"

UFC 75: Champion vs Champion may have been the fourth event of its kind to be held on UK shores, but there's no question that from a fan's standpoint, it was the biggest.

The main event of the evening saw Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion, face his PRIDE counterpart at the same weight, Middleweight champion Dan Henderson. Though the PRIDE title was largely retired after the company's sale to Zuffa (the UFC's parent company), for the few fans of the broader MMA spectrum, this was a dream match-up.

Adding to the excitement around the card, English hope Michael Bisping faced Matt Hamill, and Mirko CroCop looked to bounce back from a heavy defeat to Gabriel Gonzaga, by facing Frenchman Cheick Kongo.

UFC 75 was held on September 8th 2007, from the O2 Arena in London, England.

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is very good for a DVD of this genre. The production is a typical UFC setup, which means the important things, such as the lighting, are done well.

The transfer to DVD is very good, with no digital artefacts noticeable.





Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good. The mix of the live crowd, the commentary, and the in-Octagon action is excellent, so that all are well heard alongside the other.

For international viewers, there are further 2.0 tracks in German, French, and Dutch.





UFC 75 is a rare two-disc set for FightDVD, on this occasion including a documentary on English fighter Michael Bisping, entitled "Britain's Ultimate Fighter". In the UK, the feature aired on Bravo TV at around the time of UFC 75.

It's an excellent documentary, moreso in terms of getting to know Bisping, as opposed to chronicling his career. We follow him around in preparation for his Ultimate Fighter final bout with Josh Haynes, and also for his next bout, on the main UFC card against Eric Schafer. This is an impressive look at the man from Clitheroe, who here comes across as a likeable yet charismatic fighter.





Airing on American television, rather than pay-per-view, the management at Spike TV were delighted when UFC 75 drew 5.6m viewers to the cable channel. That made this event the most watched mixed martial arts event in history.

The UFC themselves, however, weren't quite as pleased. Even though they had promoted a huge match in Jackson vs. Henderson for the UK, the bout really lacked the excitement that should have, by reputation, made it one of the best main events of the year. MMA purists - which, to a certain extent, includes myself - enjoyed the strategy of the bout, but in a time when UFC needs exciting, fast-paced fights, this wasn't one of them.

As per usual, Michael Bisping raised the roof with his entrance, for his bout with deaf amateur wrestling champion Matt Hamill. But by the end of the fight, which again was more intriguing than it was exciting, there were just as many boos as there were cheers. That too, couldn't have pleased UFC President Dana White.

Elsewhere on the card, Mirko CroCop returned to the UK to attempt to somewhat avenge his devastating loss to Gabriel Gonzaga in April. Here, he took on the monstrous Cheick Kongo, in another controversial bout which really didn't live up to expectation.

Without question, the most exciting bout on the card was Britain's Paul Taylor vs. Marcus Davis. An outstanding back-and-forth bout, finished off with a beautiful submission, it exemplified the combination of technique and excitement that MMA can bring.

The other bouts on the show are also certainly worth watching, with the fast, hard-hitting bout between Houston Alexander and Alessio Sakara being perhaps the best of the rest. Jess Liaudin vs. Anthony Torres, Naoyuji Kotani vs. Dennis Siver, Thiago Silva vs. Tomaz Drwal, and Terry Etim vs. Gleison Tibau are good match-ups, and those were bouts that didn't make the pay-per-view.





Overall, the top bouts at UFC 75 didn't quite meet the expectations of those who made them, but with the inclusion of some good undercard bouts on this DVD, those weren't as prominent on the five-match pay-per-view event.

Hardcore UFC fans will enjoy Jackson vs. Henderson to more of an extent that the average viewer, and with that being the main event, the latter fans may consider this show a disappointment. But otherwise, this is quite a good show, and UFC fans will want to have it in their collection.