UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie Review

Heavyweight content, middleweight Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 30, 2012

This is the moment we've all been waiting for.

2011 was another banner year for the UFC. If it seems like spouting that refrain has become old habit by now, it's because with every new year comes new milestones, expansion, gains in popularity, and a wider audience for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. So far the sport has yet to truly stagnate to enjoy only modest upticks or suffer minor setbacks. It's full steam ahead for the UFC, and 2011 might have been the biggest year ever. The UFC was broadcast nationally for the first time on FOX, attracting new fans and splashing across more televisions than ever before. The sport expanded to include two new lightweight classes -- the 145-pound featherweights and the 135-pound bantamweights -- two classes that are often home to the purest athletes and that produce the most entertaining and skillful fights. 2011 saw the rise of Jon Jones, the suddenly-unstoppable force who became the youngest champion to be crowned (or is it belted?) in the UFC. Other new and exciting talents, like Nick Diaz and Dan Henderson, joined the UFC family. The sport continued to dazzle fans around the world, following up on 2010's trips to locales like Australia and Abu Dhabi with 2011 sojourns to Toronto and even back to the birthplace of Mixed Martial Arts, Rio de Janeiro, home of UFC legend Royce Gracie. It's an exciting time to be sure, and if 2012 has even half of the in-octagon excellence and wider success the sport enjoyed in 2011, then it might be time say that the UFC is as unstoppable as the sport's toughest competitors.

Winner.

UFC: Best of 2011 offers up more than just a string of fights. While the best bouts of 2011 are the focus, the release takes time to set the stage for each fight, sometimes a little more thoroughly and sometimes far too rapidly. Regardless of length and depth, the program does well to either catch up veterans or introduce new viewers to not only the nuts-and-bolts importance of each fight, but share critical information on the fighters, the titles, the weight classes, and the personal histories of the combatants inside the octagon and outside of it. The program is comprised of energetic and knowledgeable narration, interviews, press conferences, and other assorted elements that help shape the narrative beyond the octagon. As with all of the UFC titles, it's well-produced and flows quickly. The fights are entertaining and that the program takes the time to shape the story beyond the blows is the best out-of-the-octagon asset. Still, the meat of the package comes in the fights. Not only are the hits hard, but each fight is a display of physical skill, technical artistry, heart, and sportsmanship, four of the most critical elements necessary in shaping a classic UFC fight. Some fights are over in the blink of an eye, some take longer to conclude, but each has something unique and memorable that's sure to satisfy fans and impress newcomers. Not all fights start at the ringing of the bell and play the whole way through; the classic five-round Edgar-Maynard 2 fight, for example, begins partway through the first, and only shows the highlights of rounds 2-5. Still, this is a fine set but full fights are preferable to partial, the only major downside, content-wise, to this part of the program. Fortunately, UFC has included full versions of the best fights on disc two.

The following fights are highlighted as part of the main feature on disc one:

• Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos.
• Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.
• Minotauro Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub.
• Frank Mir vs. Minotauro Nogueira.
• Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem.
• Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones.
• Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson.
• Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader.
• Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz.
• Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida.
• Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida.
• Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin.
• Shogun Rua vs. Dan Henderson.
• Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort.
• Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami.
• Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann.
• Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama.
• Wanderlei Silva vs. Chung Le.
• Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields.
• Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim.
• BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz.
• Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2.
• Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3.
• Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson.
• Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick.
• Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian.
• Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber.
• Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson.
• Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles.

UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

UFC's 1080i Blu-ray presentation of UFC: Best of 2011 fares well at-a-glance, yielding vibrant colors and crisp details, but it can be ragged around the edges upon closer inspection. Heavy blocking, noise, and jagged edges run rampant, and the image is spiky-sharp at times. Fortunately, however, the image is infinitely watchable, despite its myriad of issues. Details appear crisp and sturdy. Seams on the mats, body and facial hairs, bumps and bruises, and the texture of the shiny UFC championship belts hold up very well. Clarity is acceptable, and the transfer displays on-mat advertisements and combatant tattoos with relative ease. Colors are vibrant, whether the light blue shading of the mat or the multicolored fighter trunks and corporate logos. Even the lime-neon green Bud Light advertisement seen during the Ortiz-Bader and Condit-Kim fights is handled nicely, no matter how much of an eyesore it may be. Blacks are deep, though noisy and blocky, and flesh tones appear generally accurate. The image definitely suffers through some readily-evident problems, but it remains very watchable considering the source.

UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

UFC: Best of 2011 features a no-frills Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. The track is comprised largely of three different kinds of dialogue. In-fight ringside commentary, in-ring post-fight dialogue, and narration all play crisply and smoothly, centered in the middle of the soundstage. The two-channel presentation limits the track's ability to immerse the audience in the arenas. Ambient crowd noise is limited to the front sides, but it plays with fine clarity and ease. Punches, crashes onto the mat, and other general UFC sound effects enjoy adequate energy and precision. Music plays on occasion in between fights, offering decent clarity, good spacing, and a nice low-end feel. This is hardly challenging material, and there's not much here outside of the three styles of spoken word, but Anchor Bay's track handles it all well enough.

UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc two contains the following full-length fights. No other extras are included. The total runtime on disc two clocks in at 4:54:18.

• Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2.
• Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort.
• Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones.
• Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida.
• Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim.
• Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber 2.
• Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami.
• Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck.
• Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon.
• Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan.
• Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2.
• Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone.
• BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz.
• Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson.
• Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le.
• Shogun Rua vs. Dan Henderson.
• Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung.
• Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida.
• Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone.
• Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem.

UFC: Best of 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Here's a release tailor-made for die-hard UFC fans and casual audiences alike. There's just enough backstory and a whole lot of UFC goodness, hours upon hours worth when combining the main program and the large number of full-length fights included on disc two. Most of the sport's current crop of superstars are present, and the action hits hard from the first bell to the final blow. Normally, these compilation or "best of" discs aren't recommended as starter sets, but this particular release does such a good job of catching up viewers or introducing newcomers to the sport that, for those looking for an inexpensive foray into the UFC via Blu-ray, this one is hard to beat. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of UFC: Best of 2011 features typical video and audio which remains consistent whether discussing the main program or the bonus fights. This release will keep UFC fans' adrenaline pumping for hours on end. To them and to newcomers who want a taste of what the UFC is all about, this two-disc set comes recommended.