Review of UFC 64: Unstoppable

Introduction

The meaning of the title "Unstoppable", the name of the 64th event in the history of the UFC, would seem to refer to one of two people: UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin, or his main-event challenger Anderson Silva.

Franklin, for example, came into the event not only as the Middleweight title-holder, but also with a record of twenty-four bouts, and only one loss. This however, was his first bout in seven months, after he badly broke his hand during a bout with David Loiseau, a contest in which he was ultimately victorious.

Silva, a native of Brazil, had only once previously graced a UFC Octagon, but had been so impressive in his UK bouts with the Cage Rage promotion, that he was handed a shot at Franklin`s title after his June 2006 destruction of Chris Leben. Though his UFC experience was tremendously limited, he had fought with much success in Brazil, Japan, and England, with several well-known names having felt his force.

Elsewhere on the UFC 64 card, the Lightweight Title was resurrected, with Sean Sherk and Kenny Florian battling over the championship, which was last seen at UFC 41.

UFC 64 was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 14th October 2006.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. The image may be just a little soft for some viewers` liking, but this is a legacy of the original NTSC capture. Still, the image is very clear indeed, with no video artefacts noticeable whatsoever, and is about as good a transfer as one could expect from a live-to-tape recording.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good indeed. All of the important elements of the event`s audio - those being the sounds of the in-Octagon action as well as the commentary - are very well mixed here, and are always heard clearly. Speaking of commentary, on this occasion it is provided by Mike Goldberg and Randy Couture, who subbed for Joe Rogan. Whilst he isn`t quite the personality that Rogan is - Rogan was actually performing stand-up comedy on this night, thus his absence - his technical analysis is often better, and he is certainly less outrageous, which will please many viewers.

Other 2.0 tracks are provided in Dutch, German, and French.

Features

The bonus-feature documentary focuses on the two main matches of the card, the aforementioned Franklin vs. Silva and Sherk vs. Florian. In this half-hour production, we take a close look at all four competitors, in their preparation and training for their bouts. What is particularly interesting is that we get a look at the "real" Anderson Silva, whose personality is so often hidden by the language barrier. This behind-the-scenes look provides a little depth to his relatively-unknown character.

This is a very good production, which also shows the reactions of the winners and losers, post-fight. Therefore, be sure to know the match outcomes before you watch this extra!

Conclusion

Two Lightweight fights opened up UFC 64, an interesting note given that the Lightweight Title match also appeared on this show, and that on the previous UFC card "Hughes vs. Penn", there were no less than five Lightweight bouts available. I guess it is safe to say that the division - often the weight class most capable of stealing match-of-the-night honours - is here to stay.

In any case, Kurt Pellegrino vs. Junior Assuncao was the first contest, a ground-based affair that was won quickly, and with some quite superb skill. Clay Guida and Justin James then followed up with another very ground-based bout, but one that saw both men go for lots of strikes, rather than submissions, in that position. This was a pretty good encounter which featured a great finish.

Yushin Okami then faced the Ultimate Fighter veteran Kalib Starnes in match No.3. Whilst he looked in much better shape than in the reality-show days, Starnes wasn`t particularly impressive here, and Okami was only a little better, meaning that this match seemed rather slow and tentative until a good finish.

Given that slight drop, it was a good thing that Spencer Fisher and Dan Lauzon (not to be confused with his brother, Joe Lauzon) had an excellent match in the proceeding bout. I was particularly impressed with Lauzon, since he was only eighteen at the time of the contest. This match contained some very good ground-work, yet brutal striking too, and was well up there in terms of the best fight of the night.

Cheick Kongo vs. Carmelo Marrero was set up, presumably, for Kongo to continue on his impressive UFC path, with another victory. I won`t spoil what happened in this encounter, but suffice to say that those that have seen it once, won`t be watching this dreary fight ever again. And it could be a while before we see Kongo on pay-per-view again.

Much better, thankfully, was the Welterweight bout between Jon Fitch and Kuniyoshi Hironaka, which was notable for some great striking, even though both men seemed more interested in working for takedowns. That led to the Lightweight Title match, between Sherk and Florian, which was a great match-up, although bloody to an almost disgusting level. That, however, is what ringside doctors are for, and this bout was highlighted by some superb ground-work, and great technique from the eventual winner in particular.

Lastly, but absolutely not leastly, was the main event Middleweight bout, with Franklin defending against Silva. This was a much shorter contest than was first expected, and was as brutal as it was technically proficient. Fought completely in a standing position, the bout was too short and one-sided to be considered anywhere near close to UFC 63`s Hughes vs. Penn classic, but with the help of a fascinated capacity crowd, this was a great way to finish the event.

Overall, UFC 64 was an enjoyable event, even if there was little or nothing that was truly outstanding. Fisher vs. Lauzon and Sherk vs. Florian were very good bouts, and Franklin vs. Silva is a match every UFC fan will want to see. On the other side of the coin, Kongo vs. Marrero can easily be forgotten at the push of a skip button.

There are much better events available on DVD, from both UFC and PRIDE, but if you are looking to expand your collection of MMA events, UFC 64 is worthy of your attention.