A quick look at the card will give you all you need with this DVD. Boasting big names such as Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Georges St. Pierre, this card had a lot to offer. Don’t be fooled. It was a mixed bag of MMA action.

The preliminary card was average. If you’re looking to buy this DVD for these fights, then don’t bother. With the exception of Mark Bocek, Dean Lister and Manvel Gamburyan, it left a lot to be desired and I couldn’t help but feel that this PPV was going to be a let down.

When the highlights for the first forty five minutes of this DVD are the Octagon girls, you know you have a problem. It began to irritate me. Mike Goldberg’s continous reference to the lovely girls was almost overshadowing the “six years in the making” fight between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlai Silva. Please Mike, save us the headaches.

When the PPV opened, the event seemed to continue its awful trend. Stuck in second gear, the opening fight involving Rich Clementi and Melvin Guillard ended relatively early thanks to a fantastic submission by Clementi. It was a great finish to a poor fight.
The dominance continued in fight two where we saw a brilliant performance by Lyoto Machida over rising star and PRIDE Light Heavyweight Champion Sokoudjou. There’s just something about Machida that is fantastically refreshing. He once again stamped his mark on the UFC with a submission victory over a very tired Sokoudjou to advance up the Light Heavyweight rankings. If Sokoudjou had more experience and less big day nerves, this could’ve had been a classic. Best fight of the night so far. It wasn’t hard.

While Machida and Clementi had looked impressive, the event was still waiting for that spark. Even an Eddie Sanchez knock out victory over Australian Soa Palelei failed to get the crowd going. Enter the Iceman.

If you ever want to see Chuck Liddell at his dominating best, then you should not forget this fight. Despite only getting a decision victory over Wanderlai Silva, he shown enough skill to comfortably beat one of the most intimidating Light Heavyweights in the world. It wasn’t vintage Liddell and it was never going to be, but he still showed that he can more than match what the UFC will throw at him.

Unbelievably, the fight started how the rest of the PPV had progressed. It was slow, almost ridiculously slow, with both men reading the game plan perfectly and waiting for the other to make the first move. When the boo’s echoed around the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, you couldn’t believe this was six years in the making. It was more like six years in the round. It was a very slow opening.

When this fight got going, it didn’t just pick up, it literally came through your screen. Liddell’s ferocity is unbelievable at times and even after Silva had landed some fantastic punches, Liddell’s aggression seemed to keep the fight going. When the two faced off, trading punches with one another, the crowd came alive. The atmosphere in the arena was absolutely red hot. An exceptional fight which is a must see if you want to see a classic Light Heavyweight battle.

Now the main event. Originally scheduled to be for Matt Serra’s Welterweight Title, Matt Hughes squared off against Serra’s replacement Georges St Pierre after “The Terror” suffered a back injury. Now for the Interim Welterweight Title and with bad blood between the two fighters, we were due a classic.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a classic. It was a good fight, but make no mistake about it, this was all about Georges St. Pierre. After defeating Matt Hughes with an inch perfect armbar submission, St. Pierre firmly sent a message throughout the UFC. After his previous defeat to Matt Serra, he was back, and after this fight you certainly knew it. It was a dominating performance by one of the best all rounders in the sport today. I’d certainly recommend this fight for anyone who wants to see St. Pierre at his best. Matt Hughes fans should look away, it wasn’t a good fight for the thirty four year old.

This PPV was average. If you haven’t seen this event, then the two main events make this DVD a must. They will give you your money back. If you saw the event, then the DVD might be a bit disappointing. The first two hours of this PPV were, at times, barely tolerable. Buy this for Liddell and St. Pierre. The main events were UFC at its finest. This DVD must be bought if you have a bit of spare change lying around.

A big thanks to Gary Graham and www.wrestle-zone.co.uk for all their help in reviewing this DVD. A great guy and a great site,please check it out.

Revied by JuLian Rodbourne