Review of UFC: Ultimate Knockouts 4

Introduction

"Ultimate Knockouts 4" is another Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) release, giving viewers a glimpse of the most brutal side of the sport, the finishing knockout. Here, Mike Goldberg presents highlights of twenty-two different matches, ranging from UFC 47 (2nd April 2004) to The Ultimate Fighter finale (9th April 2005), featuring established stars such as Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and future greats such as George St. Pierre and Mike Swick.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 full screen PAL and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. Everything is beautifully presented in this transfer, something that cannot always be taken for granted in live-to-tape recordings. Production values for the matches are colourful yet never overbearing.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is also very good. Everything from in-ring action, to the raucous crowds, to commentary from Goldberg and Joe Rogan, can be heard clearly. Furthermore, even though we only see highlights of each match here, the commentary is often insightful, and not nearly as inane as you might expect.

There are also 2.0 tracks available in French, German, and Dutch.

Features

There are no extras on this disc.

Conclusion

With a running time of only 75 minutes, and with the program showcasing only one side of the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting concept, many UFC fans will fail to see the appeal of this latest release. The fact remains, however, that at this point in the sport`s rise, new fans are turned on to the product by releases such as this - a highlights package with some of the year`s most spectacular moments all crammed onto one disc.

For what it is, Ultimate Knockouts 4 is a very entertaining DVD, which is neither too long, nor too short, at 75 minutes in duration. Whilst overall, it does not scale the highs of PRIDE FC`s "Hardcore Knockouts Vol.1", that release took footage from over five years of events, whereas this looks at what is basically a single calendar year.

One major positive is that the matches here are presented in highlight form, and not just as a compilation of finishes. The highlights give a little context to the inevitable knockout, telling the story of the match that preceded it.

For those who have not yet managed to get a look at these matches in a fuller form, this DVD also acts as an excellent stop-gap, especially considering there are historic UFC matches captured here, such as the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz bout, which was over one year in the making, and lived up to the hype. Otherwise, this is a very well put-together compilation, with the best matches being Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thompson (UFC 48), Travis Lutter vs. Marvin Eastman (UFC 49), and Paul Buentello vs. Justin Eilers (UFC 51).

At a RRP of £12.99, and available for less, this release is recommended.