Review of Pride FC 23: Championship Chaos II

Introduction

Held on November 24th 2002, PRIDE Championship Chaos 2 was somewhat of an odd event, in that it was headlined by a bout between two professional wrestlers, rather than seasoned mixed martial artists. Further subtitled "The Last Match of Nobuhiko Takada", PRIDE was paying its respects to the career of Takada, who despite being a pro wrestler, championed the cause of mixed martial arts in the 80s & 90s. His opponent on this card would be Kiyoshi Tamura, whom Takada had worked with in the 1990s under the UWFI banner (some UK fans may remember this televised as "Bushido" wrestling).

However, despite the attention placed on Takada, Championship Chaos 2 contained some interesting matches, and some of the top names in PRIDE; bouts involving Fedor Emelianenko, Kazushi Sakuraba or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira rarely disappoint.

Video

Video is presented in standard 4:3 non-anamorphic PAL and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. Production values have improved in PRIDE telecasts in recent times, and in comparision with previously-reviewed titles such as PRIDE 1, the improvement is drastic. Adding to the clear and sharp image is the excellent camera work, which often takes you inside the ring - and above it for a bird`s eye view.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also excellent for a DVD of this genre. It is a subtle soundtrack though, mainly because the Japanese crowd is largely silent during the bouts, out of respect for the combatants. Only when a clever move or a sharp blow is executed do you hear their excitement.

Commentary is ably given by Stephen Quadros & former RINGS competitor Bas Rutten. There is no better commentary team in mixed martial arts.

Features

Extras on this disc include several photo galleries, a list of PRIDE`s rules, a glossary of fighting phrases, plus a short documentary explaining "What Is Pride?" Considering that the event itself lasts almost four hours, these extras are more than adequate, even if they add little to this particular event.

Conclusion

When 52,000 people attend a mixed martial arts event, one is entitled to feel optimistic about its content. In this sense, Championship Chaos 2 did not send anyone home unhappy. From the brute force of Fedor Emelianenko and Kevin Randleman, to the all-round game of Vanderlei Silva, and to the ring intelligence of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, this event produced some excellent bouts, and only one poor one.

The one poor bout, you ask? Nobuhiko Takada`s last ever match.