Review of UFC: Ultimate Ultimate 1995 & 1996

Introduction

With seven previous tournaments already in the can, the Ultimate Fighting Championship decided to go in a slightly different direction for their eighth event, bringing back the top fighters from previous shows, to compete in the oddly-named "Ultimate Ultimate" competition. As such, the combatants would have to defeat two noteworthy opponents just to proceed to the Final, and unlike today`s more-regulated UFC, this was a one-night tournament.

Invited back for the 1995 show were Oleg Taktarov, Dave Beneteau, Marco Ruas, Keith Hackney, Dan Severn, Paul Varelans, "Tank" Abbott, and Steve Jennum. In 1996, Ken Shamrock, Brian Johnston, Don Frye, Gary Goodridge, "Tank" Abbott, Cal Worsham, Kimo Leopoldo, and Paul Varelans were all in attendance.

The Ultimate Ultimate 1995 took place on 16th December 1995, from the Mammoth Gardens, in Denver, Colorado. The following year`s show took place on 7th December 1996, from the State Fair Arena, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is very good for a DVD of this genre. Though a tad soft, the image is very clear indeed, and does not appear to have suffered any damage since the event was taped. The transfer, too, has been unproblematic, and there are no distracting digital artefacts here.

The only negative, if you wish to call it that, is that the production values of the event do not match those of today. Though since the Octagon is well-lit, and the camera work is generally very good, there is little there to complain about.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good. Everything is mixed well, so that commentary - provided by Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick (with Don Wilson also appearing on the 1995 show) - as well as crowd reactions and in-Octagon action can be easily deciphered.

Features

There are no extras to accompany this set.

Conclusion

With no "Superfights" (ie. Non-tournament matches) on these shows, I`ll leave my comments regarding specific matches to a minimum, to avoid spoilers (and yes, thank you, I`m aware that this event occurred over 10 years ago!). I will say, however, that while the 1996 provides perhaps as much entertainment as any UFC event from that era, 1995 is quite the contrary.

Going back this far in the sport`s history, many of the rules and policies that make UFC so great today, do not apply. The main one is the stand-up rule, which means if there is significant inactivity on the ground, the referee can separate the fighters, return them to their corners, and restart the fight. Oh, how the 1995 show needed that rule.

Of the seven fights on the 1995 show, six are dreadfully one-sided, and the other sees both fighters circle and jab for the best part of eighteen minutes. No doubt had that not been the time limit, that this would have continued for even longer.

In the 1996 event, there remain several one-sided contests, but at least every bout on the card had much attacking verve. While more basic that what you would expect today, there is also some significant striking employed, meaning that the several of the fights are particularly memorable. In fact, one semi-final bout includes a nasty finish which no-one is likely to forget anytime soon.

Overall, this double-disc set showcases the good and the bad of UFC in the mid-90s. In more ways than one, it is a different world to that which we are used today, but for the 1996 show alone, this is worth considering for those with an interest in early UFC.