UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie Review

UFC fans: submit and pick up this quality release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 21, 2010

It's the checkmate of mixed martial arts.

What's better than a UFC submission? How about a compilation disc filled with nothing but the finest UFC submissions? UFC: Ultimate Submissions, the latest video release from UFC/Zuffa/Anchor Bay, showcases dozens of the sport's best fighters from around the world and through the modern history of Mixed Martial Arts doing what they do best: winning fights by way of submission and earning the "it is all over!" call. Hosted by UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, UFC: Ultimate Submissions contains some of the sport's most impressive takedowns, beat downs, hold downs, break downs, roll arounds, and other high-skill moves as some of the world's top athletes struggle to beat their opponents by any means necessary. It's tap out or pass out, and as fighters try to break the will of their opponent or, if they prove stubborn, break their bones, the struggle to win via submission proves paramount to becoming a top UFC fighter. UFC: Ultimate Submissions shows that it's not just about the hardest punches and the longest kicks but the skill in the trenches and the ability to paralyze opponents on the mat that turns a fighter into a champion.

Time to submit.

The hard-fought battles of wits, will, pride, muscle, and skill inside the octagon are not often won on viscous hits and devastating blows, but instead in the ground game that pits hulking musclemen and well-cut, speedy athletes one against another on the mat in a game of mental toughness, physical agility, and raw fighting know-how. Maneuvering for position, grappling for the right hold, and pinning an opponent into an unbreakable position will yield the submission for all but the strongest-willed or inadvisably stubborn of competitors. The best of these bend-or-break submissions are captured in every agonizingly tight, resourceful, and merciless hold in UFC: Ultimate Submissions, a dedicated compilation video featuring some of MMA's most talented fighters like Anderson Silva, Frank Mir, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, and Georges St. Pierre on both ends of the painful and fight-ending submission holds. All of the favorite vein-popping, bone-breaking, and blood-drenched submissions are here, compiled from various matches through the storied history of the UFC and featuring premiere fighters and up-and-coming talent alike.

UFC: Ultimate Submissions is another stellar compilation disc from UFC/Zuffa/Anchor Bay. Fans familiar with the UFC home video formula will find much of the same in Submissions; the piece begins with an almost poetic description of the submission hold and dives into each fight's culminating event with Mike Goldberg setting the stage before each by introducing the fighters, the setting, the event, and the history of the fight leading to the submission. The accompanying play-by-play and color analysis remain, with many of the fights ending with Goldberg's trademark "it's all over!" declaration from the booth. Unlike other UFC videos that offer full fights, Submissions is a specialty video that foregoes most of the actual bout in favor of highlighting only the end submissions. There are fights here that have appeared on other compilation discs, but Submissions will find its audience by appealing to those who simply love the sport, enjoy the skill involved in gaining position to achieve the perfect submission, or those who want to improve their own submission techniques by watching some of the best in the world at work. Fans looking for a more generalized introduction to the world of MMA would be better served by seeking out UFC: Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights or UFC 100: Making History, the former a collection of the sport's 100 greatest complete and uncut fights as voted on by the fans, the latter an entire UFC event that culminates with a bout between two of the sport's biggest active stars.

Submissions from the following 30 fights are included:

Silva vs. Lutter
Davis vs. Taylor
Penn vs. Stevenson
Diaz vs. Pellegrino
Sylvia vs. Mir
Herman vs. Maia
Lytle vs. Gilliam
Almedia vs. Yundt
Hazelett vs. McCrory
Florian vs. Stevenson
Escudero vs. Dunham
Salaverry vs. Palhares
Kimmons vs. Miller
Silva vs. Henderson
St. Pierre vs. Hughes
Gurgel vs. Miller
Burkman vs. Hazlett
MacDonald vs. Maia
Lytle vs. Foster
Mir vs. Kongo
Taylor vs. Dollaway
Miller vs. Lauzon
Sotiropoulos vs. Dent
Dollaway vs. Lawlor
Penn vs. Florian
Story vs. Foster
Maia vs. Sonnen
Soszynski vs. Stann
Koscheck vs. Johnson
Mir vs. Lesnar

UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

UFC: Ultimate Submissions features a stable 1080i high definition transfer. More recent footage looks good, though the general problems associated with HD broadcasts are still evident here. There's some instability in the way the transfer handles chain link fences around the octagon, for instance, resulting some unsightly shimmering. Some light compression artifacts are occasionally visible, too, but otherwise, the image is quite good for what it is. Detail is strong, all the way down to the stitches and seams in the mat, and fans will enjoy the clarity of the 1080i transfer as it reveals a crisp, sharp image that showcases all the fine details in clothes, faces, and tattoos. Colors are natural and bright, whether neon-colored trunks, bright mouthpieces, or the various advertisements seen on the octagon floor. Blacks are steady as seen primarily in distant shots and as the crowd fades into darkness around the octagon. Flesh tones appear natural, with red faces the result of tired and bloodied fighters rather than poor contrast. Fans should be pleased with Anchor Bay's effort with this release.

UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

UFC: Ultimate Submissions features a very basic Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Dialogue is centered in the middle and is consistently clear and precise, whether standard interview pieces, Mike Goldberg's dramatic voiceovers, or the broadcast calls of the submissions. Ambient crowd noise is audible but does little more than set the stage for the action. Music features a basic two-channel presentation; it lacks the clarity, energy, and realism offered by lossless soundtracks, but like the crowd noise, it's used more to set the stage and reinforce the action rather than serve as a standalone or centerpiece element within the track. There's little else to this presentation; it's a very generalized offering that's meant to support the visuals and not dominate the experience. For a compilation video, this two-channel lossy soundtrack is just fine.

UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

UFC: Ultimate Submissions contains several extras under its "bonus" tab. Things begin with Bonus Submissions (1080i), a collection of 10 additional submission clips: Tank Abbot vs. Frank Mir, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg I, Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn I, Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre I, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, Forrest Griffin vs. Bill Mahood, Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard, Dustin Hazelett vs. Jonathan Goulet, BJ Penn vs. Jens Pulver II, and Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm. Submissions from the Vault is a collection of 10 additional vintage submissions: Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock I, Scott Morris vs. Sean Daugherty, Royce Gracie vs. Jason DeLucia, Dan Severn vs. Anthony Macias, Oleg Taktarov vs. Ernie Verdicia, Marco Ruas vs. Larry Cureton, Tank Abbott vs. Steve Jennum, Mark Coleman vs. Dan Severn, Randy Couture vs. Tony Halme, and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Marcus Silveria. Finally, Just Won't Tap (1080i, 2:11) features stubborn fighters who won't give in to a tough submission.

UFC: Ultimate Submissions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

UFC: Ultimate Submissions is an excellent video that's going to appeal to the niche market for which it was made: hardcore UFC fans and budding martial artists who want to study masters at work. The video is typically exciting and well-produced, as has become the norm with all of the recent UFC home video releases under the Anchor Bay banner, and fans familiar with the structure and quality of such titles will find in Submissions the UFC equivalent of comfort food. Other than attending a live UFC event or catching the latest bouts on television, what more could the UFC fan want? Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of UFC: Ultimate Submissions features a fair picture quality and a soundtrack that's supportive of the material at a very basic level. The included bonus fights only enhance this disc's value, and they help earn it a solid recommendation for its target audience.