Review of Pride FC 30: Fully Loaded

Introduction

In October 2005, PRIDE Fighting Championships was just coming off one of the most titanic struggles in its history, as Fedor Emelianenko retained his Heavyweight Title, and his undefeated streak, against challenger Mirko CroCop.

Incredibly, less than two months later, CroCop was back in action, facing Josh Barnett at PRIDE 30: Fully Loaded, in what was somewhat of a grudge match. CroCop was far from pleased with Barnett`s trash-talk in the build-up to their bout at PRIDE 28, a contest which lasted only 45 seconds, before Barnett suffered a severe (and accidental) shoulder injury.

Away from CroCop vs. Barnett, PRIDE 30 also featured Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ken Shamrock, a battle of the PRIDE and UFC legends.

PRIDE 30: Fully Loaded took place on 23rd October 2005, from the PRIDE home of Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. Not only is the DVD transfer superb here - especially considering this was a live-to-tape recording - but the production values of the show are outstanding, far beyond anything UFC has ever done, and visually more spectacular than high-level WWE productions. As UFC have proven, it is the fights that make great events, but the production values set PRIDE aside as one of the most spectacular entertainment shows around.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good for a DVD of this genre. Everything from ring entrances, to in-ring action, to commentary, can easily be heard at all times. Moreover, because of the quiet, respectful nature of the Japanese audience, it is often possible to hear corner-team instructions during fights, which can be very interesting in terms of a fighter`s strategy.

Commentary is provided by Mauro Ranallo and "El Guapo" Bas Rutten. Ranallo is the best commentator currently in MMA, and Rutten is a capable, charismatic analyst.

Features

There are a number of extra features available here, quite remarkable considering the main feature itself runs for around three hours, and at a very high video quality.

To begin, there are two commericals for the show, both of which are very good indeed. That quality is maintained for a featurette on Kazushi Sakuraba, who`s popularity is not hard to understand given the all-action nature of what is shown here. The featurette on Ken Shamrock is not quite as impressive - perhaps because PRIDE do not own the rights to his UFC footage - but is made up for by some great interview time with "The World`s Most Dangerous Man".

Text details of the PRIDE FC rules, a glossary of fight terms, and fighter bios follow, before we have some unedited pre-match interviews with James Thompson and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Thompson, from Cheltenham, comes across quite well, although six minutes of just watching him is perhaps a little much. Jackson, on the other hand, shows tremendous charisma, and makes you want to keep watching his interview, even though it goes longer, at nine minutes.

Post-match interviews are also available (also unedited), with Thompson, Josh Barnett, and Ken Shamrock. The former two are interesting, but Shamrock`s is an incredible, pro wrestling-type interview, and that is meant in a good way. He shows tremendous charisma and showmanship, even if his comments regarding his fight go against my own opinion. It is actually a must-see interview.

Finishing things up are a look at the event poster and program cover, as well as a nice photo gallery.

Conclusion

After a tremendous build-up segment with commentators Ranallo and Rutten, the evening`s first bout was Rick "Sentoryu" Miller vs. Zuluzinho. The making of this match seems to come directly from the Japanese fascination with huge men, as neither was booked for his technical skill. This was a dreadful, if short, fight which was made to seem even worse by a dubious decision.

If Zuluzinho is to be labelled as undeserving of his shot in PRIDE, Murilo "Ninja" Rua is the polar opposite, a truly fantastic fighter with an impressive record. Here, he faced Golden Glory`s Murad Chunkaiev in a good encounter, with some great technique on show.

Technique went right back out the window in the next bout, however, as James Thompson brought his blood-and-thunder style to the ring to face Alexandru Lungu. Thompson`s bouts are often a lot of fun, yet leave purists revolted, so while I enjoyed this bout, others may not.

"Rampage" Jackson then returned to PRIDE after a six-month absence, facing Hirotaka Yokoi in a match which began rather quietly, before a brutal finish concluded matters. Then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum faced Sergei Kharitonov in what was probably the worst match of the latter`s exciting career. There were some good moments, but both men seemed concerned about playing into the hands of their opponent.

Sydney 2000 Olympic Judo Gold medallist Makoto Takimoto then took to the ring for only his third MMA bout, against Korean Yoon Dong-Sik, another Judoka who had previously defeated Takimoto in that sport. Considering the combatants, it was unsurprising that this was a ground affair, although it was so overkill that the referee had to give stern warnings to each man about stalling. There were occasions of brief excitement, but nowhere near enough to make this an acceptable MMA contest.

Shockingly, the two "main event" bouts of the evening were only marginally better than Takimoto vs. Yoon, with Sakuraba vs. Shamrock up first. The feeling out process had barely begun in this contest before a lightning-quick stoppage ended it, perhaps prematurely. The eventual loser was certainly forthright in his opinions after the match.

CroCop vs. Barnett was, sadly, far from what we have come to expect from the former. Barnett, the wrestler, enjoys taking opponents to the ground, but here CroCop seemed happy to play him at his own game, with only fleeting flurries of his kickboxing offence. As the opening bell rang, this bout felt worthy of its main event status. By the end of it, this was a major anticlimax.

Overall, PRIDE 30: Fully Loaded was a very poor way to end 2005 (although they did actually hold a New Year`s Eve show), especially coming off the fantastic Fedor vs. CroCop match from two months earlier. Whether that bout affected CroCop`s training and performance here is open to debate, but either way, that doesn`t make this release any more positive for the viewer.

Whilst the English name for this event was "Fully Loaded", the Japanese name was "Starting Over". One can only assume that that was a reference to CroCop`s previous chase of Fedor`s title, but if this was how the company intended to move forward, it was a major step in the wrong direction.