UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie Review

Another must-own release for UFC fans.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 19, 2011

In every UFC fight there is a story.

The UFC keeps growing and growing, growing in popularity, in exposure, in worldwide appeal, and in the size and skill and diversity of its fighters. Sports fans disenchanted not with the boxing that plays out on the silver screen but instead on the sport's biggest real-life stages have turned to the world of mixed martial arts for their contact sport fix. The UFC is quickly replacing boxing as the hard-hitting sport king of the 21st century, and for good reason. There may not be a sport out there that's as real, physical, personal, punishing, and rewarding as mixed martial arts. It takes a dedicated man -- one with a strong body, a sharp mind, an emotional balance, and mental toughness to not only withstand the blows of an opponent, but to strike back, to demonstrate a bloodlust that can be turned on when the bell sounds and turned off when it signals the end of a round. A man must condition himself to both inflict pain on and take punishment from a friend, a fellow fighter against whom he, usually, holds no grudge but wants to soundly defeat inside the ring, to prove that his hard hours in the gym, his dedication to self and sport, to be superior. That's what sets UFC apart from every other sport. There's nothing staged, nothing fake, and nothing personal. It's about winning, proving one's worth, demonstrating a will to succeed, to dedicate months -- if not years -- for the chance to stand toe-to-toe with an opponent of equal determination to find out whose seemingly unending training regimen can best withstand the punishment of mere moments in the Octagon.

Get it on.

Every year, it seems, the Ultimate Fighting Championships is only gaining fans and earning respect as one of the world's top sports. Indeed, 2010 was the year the sport really seemed to take off internationally. The sport entered into several new foreign markets and held several major events across several continents. UFC 110 was held in Australia, UFC 112 was the sport's first outdoor event and the first to be held in Abu Dhabi, and with the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in Ontario in August 2010, UFC 123 will be held in Toronto, Canada. UFC also opened up offices in China, while Cain Velasquez become the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a Heavyweight crown. The sport also added two new and exciting weight classes -- importing the 135 lb. and 145 lb. classes from the WEC -- while some of the sport's biggest names continued to dominate inside the octagon. New Hall-of-Fame inductee Matt Hughes set a record for wins at UFC 117, superstar Anderson Silva tied the sport's record for title defenses at seven, and Randy Couture earned a victory over fellow Hall-of-Famer Matt Coleman while also defeating boxing champ James Toney in two minutes. Indeed, it was a fantastic year for UFC in 2010; great fighters, new venues, and several memorable bouts dotted the sport's landscape, setting the stage for what will no doubt be another hallmark year in 2011.

Two men. One goal. Who will win? That's the spread of every competitive sporting event: two teams or individuals training for the contest and doing their best to come out on top. Whether in team sports such as baseball or football or more individualized sports like golf or tennis, it's the competitive drive, the determination to not only defeat but dominate an opponent, that pushes athletes to succeed. That's taken to another level in UFC. It takes a mental discipline, a willingness to take pain and to dish it out, to physically harm another for the right to be called "champion." There are hundreds of fights every year within the UFC, but as with any sporting event, some of these bouts -- though all of them fought with the same heart, determination, and dedication to the sport and to self -- stand above the rest. UFC: Best of 2010 is a showcase for the sport's premiere match-ups of the year that was, and this collection -- much like its 2009 counterpart -- captures all the excitement of UFC through the prism of a very well-produced disc that gives both the fights and the pre-fight introductions the energy, attention, and awe they deserve. The fight selection is top-notch -- there's not a dull matchup or one of minimal historical or entertainment value to be found in the set -- and it's supported by great graphics; an energized voiceover narration; and plenty of background information on the fights, the fighters, and the sport. Best of all, UFC: Best of 2010 doesn't merely string fights back-to-back-to-back; the disc tells a story, offering a narrative on the year that was and the hows and whys behind the importance of each fight and its respective fighters.

The following fights are featured in this two-disc set:

Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham
Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn
Carlos Condit vs. ory MacDonald
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua
Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones
Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Minotauro Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

UFC: Best of 2010 laces on the gloves and enters the Blu-ray fray with a 1080i, 1.78:1-framed transfer that pretty much looks identical to previous UFC releases that feature fights of a recent vintage. The transfer's quality is reflective of the fights's original broadcast presentations, maintaining a crisp, nicely detailed HD video appearance that is without most of the blocky artifacts that occasionally creep into over the air HD broadcasts. UFC: Best of 2010 delivers a steady, good looking image that's not on the same level as new release films, but Anchor Bay's Blu-ray transfer does offer a crisp, sharp, and highly detailed image. Viewers will enjoy the clarity with which the transfer brings to life such objects as creases in the mat; streaks and droplets of blood on the floor; or scars, tattoos, and freckles on the fighters' bodies. Colors are natural; UFC fights are colorful affairs with a plethora of shades found on both on-mat advertisements inside the octagon for various sonspor products and the many colors that make up the fighters' trunks. Blacks, particularly visible back into the depths of the crowd, never appear too bright or gray, and skin tones appear fairly natural across the diverse shades that cover almost the entire human spectrum across the many fighters featured in the collection. The image does struggle through a bit of noise and contains a few jagged edges, but generally the crisp details and splendid colors mask any shortcomings. Though not a heavyweight transfer, UFC: Best of 2010 does deliver the goods that UFC fans expect.

UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

UFC: Best of 2010 hits moderately hard with its effective but sometimes underpowered Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Fortunately, Anchor Bay's soundtrack is reflective of the quality of the original source, and while listeners aren't going to be transported inside the octagon or feel the raw power of every blow through naturally punishing bass, this audio track does reproduce the various fights's original elements to a satisfactory level. Though centered about the hard-hitting world of mixed martial arts, UFC: Best of 2010 is primarily built around both voiceover narration and in-fight commentator observations. The Spoken word is crisp in both instances. Still, the sounds of fists pounding flesh and bodies falling to the mat are met with a positive and energized sensation. Music delivery is clean and accurate, bringing with it a positive, hefty feel that sets an aggressive, energetic tone for each fight. Ambient crowd noise is, of course, limited to the front and never really plays much of a prominent role in the soundtrack. Though not exactly a mind-boggling, reference-level sonic presentation, UFC: Best of 2010's Dolby Digital presentation delivers a clear, articulate, and energetic presentation that matches up well with the video presentation and the content of the program.

UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

UFC: Best of 2010 features a host of bonus fights across both discs. Disc two also features a behind-the-scenes (1080p, 14:50) feature that showcases UFC fighters having fun in Australia, working through their training regimens, playing UFC video games, living out of hotels, working themselves up for the fight, and enjoying their post-fight successes.

Disc One:
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Efrain Escudero vs. Evan Dunham
Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
Efrain Escudero vs. Charles Oliveira
Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle 2
Dan hardy vs. Carlos Condit
Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon
Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson
Jim Miller vs. Charles Olivera
Geroges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck 2

Disc Two:
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry
Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
Brandan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Krysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar 2
Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft
Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson
Randy Couture vs. James Toney
CB Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
Phil Davis vs. Tom Boetsch.

UFC: Best of 2010 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

UFC: Best of 2010 is another well-rounded release from Anchor Bay. The disc provides not only a collection of fights but a supporting narrative that highlights the fights and the fighters in addition to the important events that shaped UFC in 2010 and that will play a part in bringing the sport to more fans around the world in the future. Even for all its excellent insight into the world surrounding the UFC, fans will most enjoy the compilation of 2010's best fights; there's not a dud in the bunch, and this two-disc set features plenty of additional fights as value-added bonuses. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of UFC: Best of 2010 features the same kind of quality video and audio specifications as found on most other Anchor Bay/UFC releases. Recommended.