Review for UFC 109: Relentless

Introduction

Billed as the meeting between two legends, the clash between Mark Coleman and Randy Couture sounded like a mouthwatering fight if you chose to believe the UFC's PR men.

'The Hammer' and 'The Natural' are indeed legends, and this clash is certainly one that is 12 years in the making. But, in some ways, that also makes it 12 years too late, and therefore irrelevant.

OK so irrelevant is maybe a little harsh, but in 2010 the meeting of Couture and Coleman just doesn't feel like main event material. Coleman is coming off of a win over Stephan Bonnar whilst Couture defeated perennial underachiever Brandon Vera after being bullied out of the heavyweight division by the giants at that weight.

Both are exceptional fighters for their age but, despite the UFC hype, neither are on the cusp of a light-heavyweight title run. That especially goes for Coleman who, prior to the Bonnar fight, looked laboured and every bit his 46 years of age in a defeat to Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua.

We UFC fans are a spoiled lot. Despite complaints, elsewhere the card provided much intrigue and excitement. The clash between Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt will provide a middleweight number one contender.

Mike Swick and Paulo Thiago is a great match-up, both men love to stand and trade and are extremely technical. There is also the Matt Serra/Frank Trigg grudge match, which is guaranteed to provide fireworks.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 PAL, and is exceptional as usual. In HD you can count all 10,000 of the combined wrinkles belonging to the main eventers. Just kidding. 

Audio

Audio is 2.0 Dolby Digital and we have excellent commentary from the likeable Mike Goldberg and his partner Joe Rogan.

Extras

Extras come in the form of the usual weigh-in show and a behind-the-scenes look into how the fighters prepare for the event.

There isn't a whole lot to justify a second disc here. What's there is certainly interesting, but not worthy of a second 'extras' disc. The weigh-in show is pretty ordinary stuff, although worth a watch. The behind-the-scenes segment is, as usual, interesting, but sadly it is not enough on it's own to justify that disc.

This is a complaint with the vast majority of UFC DVDs. The two disc sets just don't have enough exclusive bonus material to get excited about.

It is about time the UFC livens up the formula with things like fighter profiles and pre and post-fight interviews. 

Conclusion

UFC Relentless was certainly a success. Although, as feared, the main event was about as one sided as they come, with one of the competitors looking every bit his age.

The two legends provided entertainment, but sadly this fight did indeed feel 12 years too late.

It was the co-main event that lived up to the pay-per-views 'Relentless' billing. Marquardt and Sonnen went to war, each man put in a brave and determined performance and the victor came away bloodied and battered, but totally deserving of being the number one middleweight contender.

Matt Serra made a lively return to the Octagon, his personality is certainly missed when he is away from fighting.

The Swick-Thiago bout was my 'fight of the night.' Both men showed excellent striking and it sets up a superb finish to what was a good fight between two top tier welterweights.

The Maia-Miller bout turns out to be a little underwhelming and this time there isn't a great deal in the prelims to get your pulse rating.

In some ways, if your a Couture or Coleman fan, this DVD is a must have. But the feeling was certainly a little bit of disapointment after watching this event.

It proves that, after the criticism and re-scheduling of UFC 106 and 108, the higher billed events don't always make for the best ones. 

Relentless? I wouldn't go as far as saying you might need one to keep you awake, but you may feel a little underwhelmed by this one.