UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie Review

A terrific main event that lives up to the hype makes this a must-own for fight fans.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 7, 2012

Fight tooth and nail.

From Sacramento's Arco arena on April 24, 2010 comes WEC 48, a much-hyped and highly-anticipated Featherweight title bout between two of the WEC's best fighters, José Aldo vs. Urijah Faber, the latter hailing from Sacramento and dubbed "The California Kid," in essence making this a home fight for him versus the Brazilian Aldo. There's certainly some superb matches leading up to Aldo-Faber, including another title fight for the Lightweight Championship between Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone, but the main event absolutely dominates the evening, a full five-round fight that's largely a mismatch but that shows the courage and determination of the mixed martial arts fighter, Faber hanging in until the final bell despite being overmatched and injured for much of the contest. It's been dubbed "the best fight in the history of the Featherweight division." The clash between "the lion of the division" and a hungry Faber looking not so much for the belt but rather to prove his supremacy in the cage certainly lives up to that monicker. The WEC has since been folded into its parent UFC, but the Aldo-Faber fight represents the pinnacle of the fighting that was under the WEC banner.

The champ.

The fights are of a high quality and the main event is, of course, fantastic. This is a fairly no-frills UFC/WEC release, but fight fans aren't interested in flash and bling. The commentary is handled by MMA veterans Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, who are fantastic as usual, proving capable of not just yelling out when a punch is thrown or a kick is landed, but offering more insightful comments that actually help promote the combatants and the sport, revealing an understanding of the nuances and strategy that goes into the fights and often demonstrating an uncanny knack for predicting turns of events before they actually play out on the mat. It's nice for the novice or casual MMA fan to glean some positive insight into the fights rather than simply cheer on flailing arms and legs and fighters grappling on the mat. Indeed, there's a real artistry to these fights, even if they do out of necessity devolve into flailing and self-preservation when a fighter is down or backed into a corner. Even with the inherent violence of the sport, it's easy to spot the grace and the sportsmanship, the respect all of these fighters appear to have for one another, and knowing that they are doing it not to kill one another but to earn a living and prove their worth, and showing that respect for their opponents certainly represents one of the main draws of the MMA universe.

And that main draw is in full display here. Just about every match epitomizes sportsmanship, at least as much as is possible between two combatants and, at the end of the fight, usually, two beaten and worn-down combatants. Better, the fighters demonstrate skill and courage and class and stamina, Faber in particular in his loss to Aldo. He not only gives fans everything he has, he gives himself everything he has, putting up one heck of a fight, a demonstration of resiliency that's rarely seen even in the UFC. Even as he's on the ground and it's clear that the outcome is all but certain, audiences breathlessly watch, anticipating some kind of late flurry from Faber even as he leaves everything on the mat. That and all of these other lower weight class fights are superb examples of the skill, speed, quick action, finesse, and attention to detail that's critical in the WEC divisions. Audiences accustomed to the pummeling and punishment of the heavyweights will find a brand new kind of style in each of these fights, that alone making this a unique little package worthy of study and appreciation and not just a bunch of throwaway fights leading up to the top-billed event.

The following comprises the fight card as found on this disc (in reverse order of program presentation but in order as they are presented on the menu screen):

• Aldo vs. Faber.
• Henderson vs. Cerrone.
• Brown vs. Gamburyan.
• Njokuani vs. Roller.
• Banuelos vs. Jorgensen.
• Garcia vs. Jung.
• Karalexis vs. Pettis.
• Pickett vs. Johnson.
• Mendes vs. Morrison.
• Mizuhaki vs. Yahya.
• Visher vs. Toner.

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber doesn't look bad on Blu-ray, nor does it look great. The 1080i Blu-ray transfer offers generally crisp definition and holds up nicely even with all of the fast motion it displays. Clarity is a strong point, the image crisply and efficiently revealing the bright corporate logos that adorn the mat: Harley Davidson, Bud Light, Musclepharm, and Amp Energy amongst them. Detailing is fine, the transfer easily revealing the finest little details on the mat, the creases in the padding, the sweat and skin textures visible on the fighters. Colors are steady and bright, the on-mat advertisements and the plethora of different shades seen on the fighters' trunks appearing accurate and steady in presentation. Black levels are solid, visible in the backgrounds beyond the first few rows of fans. There are some compression issues, blocky backgrounds and jagged edges, but they're not always easy to spot. This is, at worst, a serviceable transfer, at best, a nice-looking transfer. It generally favors the latter, though it certainly won't be mistaken for a high quality theatrical release.

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber delivers a simple but simply effective Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, also available in a two-channel Spanish language option. Commentary is the key here; it's balanced and focused up the middle, but it can be a little harsh here and a little flat there. The other elements, and the entire track, really, prove very straightforward, with little in terms of a wide presence. It's all up front, of course, with little range or dynamism. Audience cheers and chatter from the trainers coming from the figurative corners of the cage come through nicely and crisply to the point that the words are identifiable. The slight sounds of feet dancing on the mat and the landing of kicks and punches play with sufficient clarity and authenticity. Music pumped through arena speakers proves rather disappointing, sounding flat and shallow. Nevertheless, the Goldberg and Rogan commentary is clear enough, critical as the main component this track has to offer.

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber contains four brief extras.

• UFC.com Featurette: Aldo vs. Faber (1080i, 6:34): Hype leading up to the fight and introductions of the two fighters.
• UFC.com Featurette: Henderson vs. Cerrone (1080i, 2:49): See above.
• Weigh in Show (1080i, 16:38): Aldo, Faber, and friends step up to the scales for one of the sport's favorite pre-fight events.
• Behind the Scenes (1080i, 4:16): A rapid-fire behind-the-scenes look at the events leading up to the fight, comprised primarily of sound bytes.

UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Superficially, UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber represents a basic nuts-and-bolts, blue-collar, thermos and lunch box sort of release. There are no frills, just fights, with only a little bit of hype before the main event. But this collection of WEC 48 contests also provides novice and casual fight fans with a look at the styles of fighters from the lower weight classes that don't always get top billing or find their way into the big headlines. Certainly the Aldo-Faber fight is the exception, but every contest on this program is fun and even somewhat educational within the MMA universe. Between the great commentary and the raw skill on display, this is a must-own for all fight fans of any background, persuasion, or level of exposure. Image Entertainment's Blu-ray release of UFC Presents WEC: Aldo vs. Faber features fair video and decent audio. A few supplements are included. Recommended to MMA fans.