Review of UFC 72: Victory

Introduction

The Ultimate Fighting Championship`s push into the UK market was again in full force for UFC 72: Victory, this time held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Just two months previously, the company had been in Manchester, England for UFC 70: Nations Collide, and indeed, come September, UFC would be back in the UK for UFC 75: Champion vs Champion.

Aside from the promotion of the UK market, UFC 72 had been pencilled in as the company`s debut on the HBO network, which is synonymous with high-profile boxing matches in the USA. However, despite months of negotiations, no deal was concluded, and in the end, the show ended up airing on pay-per-view in the USA, in an unaccustomed afternoon time-slot.

On the card itself, the main event was considered to be a No.1 Contender match for Anderson Silva`s Middleweight title, as Rich Franklin faced Yushin Okami. Franklin had lost the title to Silva in October 2006, and was aiming to have the shot at winning it back. But Okami was undefeated in his previous four UFC fights, and had a (disqualification) win over Silva to his credit.

Elsewhere on the card, Forrest Griffin faced Hector Ramirez, and Tyson Griffin battled Clay Guida.

UFC 72: Victory was held on 16th June 2007, from the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is very for a DVD of this genre. It is very notable that every UFC event, no matter where it is held, looks almost identical. At this point, that`s a positive, because people feel at home with the look of the show, but it will soon become a detriment, and a sign of being stale, if the company rest on their laurels.

In any case, then, similar to previous events, the event is superbly captured. The production values accentuate rather than distract from the show, and the camerawork always gives the viewer an excellent look at in-Octagon action.

The transfer to DVD is virtually flawless, with no noticeable digital artefacts.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good for a DVD of this genre. Everything is clearly mixed, so that the sounds of in-Octagon action, the audience, and commentary (provided by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan) are all easily audible.

For international viewers, there are further 2.0 tracks available in German, Dutch, and French.

Features

The bonus featurette focuses on the two big fights of the night, in Forrest Griffin vs Hector Ramirez, and Rich Franklin vs Yushin Okami. Being two of the most popular UFC fighters, we get to hear almost exclusively from Griffin and Franklin, who talk about their fight preparation, the differences in fighting abroad, and the growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). There is also some interesting post-fight footage available here.

Conclusion

The Belfast crowd was rapturous for the first bout of the evening, as Stevie Lynch faced Dustin Hazelett in a Welterweight bout. This was a short, brutal fight, and a great way to start the show.

The Heavyweights were up second, as another local fighter, Colin Robinson stood up to the challenge of Eddie Sanchez. What this contest lacked in finesse, it certainly made up for in heart and graft, and was another good fight.

Things didn`t slow down whatsoever for the Jason Tan vs Marcus Davis bout, which featured quite the knockout, before the pay-per-view portion of UFC 72 opened, with Scott Smith facing Ed Herman. A dreadful cut threatened to ruin this one, but the bout continued into another worthwhile encounter.

It has often been said that the Lightweight Division is where the greatest UFC bouts take place, and in the further case of Clay Guida vs Tyson Griffin, that`s a difficult theory to dispute. Their match here was simply fantastic - a tremendous show of skill, determination, and stamina. It even had a little controversy, to make things more memorable. This was certainly one of the best fights of the year.

No-one would have envied Jason MacDonald and Rory Singer the task of following Guida vs Griffin, and sure enough, their bout in the Middleweight Division wasn`t much to write home about. Neither, sadly, was the semi-main event, in which Forrest Griffin faced Hector Ramirez. Griffin was afforded an incredible ovation on his way to the Octagon, but frustrated some of his fans - and himself - with what was a counter-attacking strategy.

The main event, too, didn`t really live up to its billing, as both Rich Franklin and Yushin Okami were tentative in their contest. This was expected of Okami, but less so of Franklin, and only an excellent final round saved the bout from being one of the worst main events in recent UFC memory.


Overall, UFC 72 was a good event, but one which would be considered a let-down, if you were only looking forward to the two marquee matches. Both Griffin vs Ramirez and Franklin vs Okami struggled with a lack of action, something which could not to levelled at the earlier fights, especially Guida vs Griffin, which is an absolute must-see for any UFC fan.

On account of that, UFC 72: Victory comes recommended.