Review of UFC: 29 & 30

Introduction

The UFC archive discs keep coming thick and fast from UK distributor FightDVD, and this is the latest in line, another 2-disc set featuring UFC 29 and UFC 30.

UFC 29, subtitled "Defence of the Belts" was held on 16th December 2000, at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Aside from the bouts featuring Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, the event is interesting in that this was the last UFC event to be promoted under the auspices of the SEG company, before it was sold to current owners Zuffa.

UFC 30, subtitled "Battle on the Boardwalk" was held on 23rd February 2001, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Conversely, the first event promoted by Zuffa, the show was main-evented by Tito Ortiz vs. Evan Tanner, in a battle for the former`s Middleweight Championship.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is generally very good for a DVD of this genre. Although the production values improve for UFC 30, UFC 29 is, however, a little on the minimalist side. This occurs for two reasons, the first being the financial peril of owners SEG, and the second being that such shows in Japan are generally lit more darkly than American events.

None of this reflects on the DVD transfer, which is very good indeed.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good for a DVD of this genre. Everything is clearly heard, from crowd noise (although there is little of this at UFC 29 due to the restrained Japanese audience), to in-Octagon action, to commentary. Speaking of which, announcing duties are handled by Mike Goldberg and Jeff Blatnick for UFC 29, and they are joined by Frank Shamrock for UFC 30.

Features

There are no extras on this disc.

Conclusion

UFC 29 began with what sounded like a dream match, as Chuck Liddell faced Jeff Monson in a Middleweight contest (as of this writing, Liddell is the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion, and Monson was unsuccessful in a Heavyweight Title bout with Tim Sylvia in November 2006). This match was really a takedown (Monson) vs. sprawl (Liddell) bout, with few trademark Liddell strikes, and thus not much to get excited about.

Although he wouldn`t attain that kind of status for several years yet, another UFC legend was up next, as Matt Hughes faced Dennis Hallman. Interestingly, they showed the entire seventeen seconds of their previous bout, for an independent promotion, prior to this re-match. This was another extremely short bout, and was another equally amazing affair.

After a bout in which Evan Tanner proved his credentials against Lance Gibson, Fabiano Iha collided with Daiju Takase in a short bout, which was rather one-sided. Then, 2000 Olympic Silver Medallist in Greco-Roman wrestling Matt Lindland faced off against Yoji Anjo, the pro wrestler, who really had no place in the Octagon with a fighter of Lindland`s calibre.

The match of the night was the next contest, as Pat Miletich put his Lightweight Title on the line against Kenichi Yamamoto. There was some great striking on show here, and a dominant performance was given by the eventual winner.

The penultimate bout featuring Chris Lytle and Ben Earwood was far from a classic, with lots of ground control involved, although some might note the same for the main event, which had Tito Ortiz defend his Middleweight championship against Yuki Kondo. This was a short, explosive bout, which lacked the length to have any real drama, but was entertaining nonetheless.

It was fascinating to see Team Punishment member Dana White in the corner of Ortiz at UFC 29, especially considering that he was back in front of the camera at the beginning of UFC 30, this time as the President of the Zuffa-owned company. White promised a more fan-friendly UFC, although the first bout at UFC 30, between Bobby Hoffman and Mark Robinson, would hardly have viewers believe him. The second, however, between Pedro Rizzo and Josh Barnett, was leagues better, and was exactly the kind of fight the new President would be looking for in all future events. Rizzo vs. Barnett is easily the best bout over the course of the two-disc set, with great determination and fabulous striking on hand from both men.

Things dropped down a notch in the next encounter, as Elvis Sinosic faced Jeremy Horn, and things were only a little better in Match Four, as Fabiano Iha returned to face Phil Johns. The penultimate match was an improvement, though, a long but very fast-paced Bantamweight Title bout, as Jens Pulver faced Caol Uno. The bout was perhaps a little attritional, but it also had a main-event feel, which is something that the official Ortiz vs. Tanner main event, at thirty seconds in duration, couldn`t claim to have.

Overall, UFC 29 & 30 is another hugely mixed bag, with the superb Rizzo vs. Barnett tipping the scales against the likes of Hoffman vs. Robinson and Liddell vs. Monson. In between, there are very watchable bouts between Pulver and Uno, Miletich and Yamamoto, and Ortiz and Kondo, but little else of any value.

All of that means this release is another for the UFC enthusiast only, and not someone who is just developing their interest in the sport. Things would improve for Zuffa, but it would take a little time.