Review of UFC Ultimate Knockouts 3

Introduction

There`s always a sense of anticipation within the Reviewer camp when UFC or WWE discs arrive. Thoughts race round your head about whether you will get lucky this week. Well, this time my luck was out, and here is another UFC DVD to get my head around…

Ultimate Knockouts 3 presumably follows in the steps of the previous two releases of the same name, and contains clips of what are thought to be the latest batch of ultimate knockouts (rather like a fighting version of The Best Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever Vol.3).

Each short segment is introduced by Kerri Kasem, the MTV friendly daughter of veteran DJ Casey Kasem, also the voice of Shaggy in the animated Scooby Doo.

1. Robbie Lawler vs. Tiki Ghosn
2. Andrei Arlovski vs. Ian Freeman
3. Chuck Liddell vs. Renato Sobrai
4. Gan McGee vs. Alexandre Dantas
5. Tim Sylvia vs. Ricco Rodriguez
6. David Loiseau vs. Mark Weir
7. Rich Franklin vs. Evan Tanner
8. Wesley Correira vs. Sean Alvarez
9. Falaniko Vitale vs. Matt Lindland
10. Vitor Belfort vs. Marvin Eastman
11. Hermes Franca vs. Caol Uno
12. Josh Thomson vs. Gerald Strebendt
13. Rich Franklin vs. Edwin DeWees
14. Tim Sylvia vs. Gan McGee
15. Andrei Arlovski vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
16. Yves Edwards vs. Nick Agallar
17. Frank Mir vs. Wes Sims
18. Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo

Video

Broadcast quality picture as seen on US pay-per-view. The producers are obviously trying to get a bit arty as all the interview pieces in the extras are filmed in black and white to contrast with the colour fight footage.

Audio

Nothing spectacular sound-wise, but there is that constantly annoyingly banal banter from the commentators plus the obligatory nu-metal music to accompany it.

Features

Fascination with the Knockout
Understanding the Knockout
Greatest Knockout in UFC history
Knockout or Submission
The Feeling of the Perfect Knockout

Short segments all. Interview footage combined with fight footage.

Conclusion

So I lost this week, I`ll live to fight another day though. Thankfully this release is relatively short, although as it focuses on the knockout it`s also more spectacularly violent than the last one I had a look at.

UFC boasts that this is `As Real As It Gets` and I can`t argue with them on that score. The sight of knees smacking into someone`s chin or a series of vicious punches or a swift kick to the head is bad enough. What drives home how bad this is, is seeing the fighters just crumple to floor and sometimes just stay still as they are beaten into unconsciousness. There are a couple of knockout where you can see the eyes roll back and the life just drain out of these fighters as they slide into never-never-land. Although no-one dies, you have to wonder how, especially knowing that at least one of these knockouts resulted in a fractured jaw - with more than one fracture too.

I just can`t see the appeal of this, although I`m sure there are plenty of people out there who attend fights of one sort or another who would lap this up. I guess it`s better in the ring than out on the streets…