UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights Review - Disc 1, Part 2

And we're finished Disc 1, so here's the rundown of the rest of the fights:

92. UFC 39: B.J. Penn vs. Matt Serra: So, it only took eight fights on this set to find a match that absolutely did not deserve in any way, shape or form to be a part of the 100 Greatest Fights DVD. Seriously, why was this included? I mean, it was fine, but it didn't blow me away, nor was there any great sequence that merited it being on the list. A three-rounder in the lightweight championship tournament that went to a decision for Penn. Yay. Next!


91. The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale: Rich Franklin vs. Ken Shamrock: Now this is more like it! This is as much fun and action as you can have packed into a three-minute fight. And, unlike the Royce Gracie-Matt Hughes fight, Shamrock didn't embarrass himself despite losing quickly. As good as I remembered this being.

90. UFC 41: B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno: If there was a category for Best Fight With Worst Ending, this match would win hands down. A five-round fight to fill the vacant UFC lightweight title and it ends in a judge's draw, leaving the vacant title still vacant? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Also, the next time anyone criticizes UFC judging (as has become all the rage these days), point them to this fight as an unheralded example of a robbery. Believe me, I'm no BJ Penn fan, but he clearly won this fight. Unbelievable. But, still, a very good fight.

89. UFC 66: Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine: Ah, yes. This fight. The one where Griffin throws a tantrum in the ring after getting knocked out and cries and then leaves the cage. Good thing he`s never done that again. Oh, wait.

88. UFC 67: Frankie Edgar vs. Tyson Griffin: A good fight to bookend Disc 1, which started with a 155 lbs. division all-action slugfest and ended with one, too. These guys were non-stop punches, kicks, grappling, reversals - you name it, they did it - for the entire fight. Tremendously entertaining. Steve Mazzagatti showed why he's Dana White's least favorite referee in this match by reacting to an accidental low blow delivered by Edgar to Griffin with the helpful advice, "Fight on, guys! Fight on!" Great finish, too, as Edgar survived a knee bar that turned his leg from an I into a backwards C and held out until the time limit. Eek! As Joe Rogan said, "Oh man, AAARRRGGHH! OOOOOHHH!" And, after all of that, Edgar won the decision. Which was kind of surprising.

Eighty-seven fights and seven discs to go! I'll update the reviews as I work my way through the matches.

My review of Disc 2 Part 1.

Comments

Unknown said…
The Penn-Sera fight was very important... It was a stalemate to a certain degree in which at the end Serra was robbed and Dana White apologized about it to him right there in the octagon
Unknown said…
Fair point. But it doesn't change my opinion that as a fight, it was only "fine" and not "great." Although as I work my way through the set, it's becoming more apparent that some of the "greatest matches" are more "important moments" or "great finishes to mediocre matches."
REDRUM said…
The Penn-Sera fight was very important... It was a stalemate to a certain degree in which at the end Serra was robbed and Dana White apologized about it to him right there in the octagon

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