Review of UFC: 21 & 22

Introduction

FightDVD are now up the year 1999 in their UFC throwbacks, and taking us there is this double-disc set of UFC 21 and 22.

UFC 21 was held on 16th July 1999 at the Five Seasons Events Centre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The main event of the evening was a Light Heavyweight championship bout, in which champion Pat Miletich (now a renowned trainer of fighters such as Matt Hughes) defended against Andre Pederneiras. On paper, the other standout match on the card was a heavyweight bout between Marco Ruas and Maurice Smith.

UFC 22 occurred two months later, on 24th September 1999, from the Lake Charles Civic Centre in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The main event was a Middleweight title bout, as champion Frank Shamrock took on Tito Ortiz. This was somewhat of a grudge match, as Ortiz disrespected Shamrock`s adoptive brother Ken after a recent victory.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL and is very good for a DVD of this genre. The image is not as sharp as PAL viewers will be used to, but that is a legacy of this release`s NTSC roots. Aside from this, the image is very clear, and only the less-impressive production values of the live show differentiates this from a 2006 UFC release.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is very good for a DVD of this genre. Commentary is provided ably by Mike Goldberg and Jeff Blatnick, although it is not difficult to realise why the more enthusiastic Joe Rogan is used these days.

Particularly noticeable on this set is the fact that we can hear a lot from the cornermen of the combatants. For example, in the Kosaka vs Lajcik fight from UFC 21, Kosaka`s cornerman Maurice Smith can be heard right at the front of the mix during silent moments from Goldberg and Blatnick. I found it very interesting indeed to hear so clearly the instructions that were being given.

Features

There are no extras to compliment either UFC 21 or 22.

Conclusion

UFC 21 began in strong fashion, as wrestler Royce Alger faced Eugene Jackson. Although little great technique was on show, this was a spirited display from both fighters, and the bout featured an excellent finish.

Tsuyoshi Kosaka - famous for holding the only recorded victory of Fedor Emelianenko - then collided with Tim Lajcik, in a match that was predominantly fought on the ground, but was quite active in being so.

Next up was a contest with a fifteen year age gap, as Flavio Luiz Moura and Paul Jones contested a solid match. The same can be said of Daiju Takase vs Jeremy Horn, which featured some great ground work by the latter.

The Light-Heavyweight title bout was next, as Pat Miletich defended against Andre Pederneiras in a bout which found the challenger a little too tentative, before Maurice Smith and Marco Ruas engaged in a contest which ended abruptly on an injury.

The last match of the pay-per-view was actually a preliminary match - shown because the event had finished early - as Ron "H2O" Waterman faced Andre Roberts. This can only be described as an entertaining slugfest, with both big guys throwing wild punches in the hope of knocking the other out.

Just as Waterman had ended UFC 21, here also opened UFC 22, taking on Tim Lajcik. Although some good ground and pound technique was employed here, I was disaapointed somewhat in Waterman, who seemed happy to keep a hold of his opponent, and little else.

The second bout, involving John Lewis and Lowell Anderson, was a totally different affair, as it was fought from predominantly a stand-up position. The striking was good, but until the third round, unfortunately there was not enough of it.

Jeremy Horn and Jason Godsey were up next in a short but very skilled bout, before future Light-Heavyweight kingpin Chuck Liddell squared off against Paul Jones in a match that featured an unsatisfying finish.

The most explosive fight of the night was the next contest, as Brad Kohler and Steve Judson - two hugely muscular heavyweights - took to the Octagon. This was another quick one, and featured a highlight-reel knockout finish.

The jewel of UFC 22 was the main event, as all main events should be. Trash-talking Tito Ortiz faced Frank Shamrock for the Middleweight championship in an excellent match which featured excellent stand-up and ground fighting. Whilst a long contest, the crowd stayed with it, and when the finish occurred, the crowd erupted. It was certainly the best match of this 2-disc set.

With several solid matches and no stinkers on either UFC 21 or 22, I have no hesitation in recommending this double-disc set to the UFC fan. It does not belong among the very top MMA DVDs, but - especially for 1999 - it is very much worth looking into at an RRP of £14.99