Suggestions

[pduh01]

I am starting to get into the MMA a little bit more(Yes I know I'm a bit late of the party lol.) I have not follow much to it but I am starting to now and have not watch any of the ppvs at all.

I am thinking of buying a UFC DVDs any suggestions which I should buy first? Any good ones?

[Cammo101]

UFC 52
UFC 100

[cowboyronnie]

Don't go for event DVD's. Go for Best Ofs. I think there are some out there, there are definitely Best Of particular fighters.

For events, I bet you can rent the DVDs. That's the better option. You could get through a bunch of events chronologically. That's what I did when I got into the sport.

I hear that you can find pirated stuff on the internet.

[REDDzone]

I am starting to get into the MMA a little bit more(Yes I know I'm a bit late of the party lol.) I have not follow much to it but I am starting to now and have not watch any of the ppvs at all.

I am thinking of buying a UFC DVDs any suggestions which I should buy first? Any good ones?

Want a suggestion? As great as it is, don't limit yourself to UFC.

[jTF2]

^definetly. Start dling or if you can find it, renting PRIDE events. Then go into the UFC.

[CPT]

As others have said, you might not want to go for actual events, but seek out "Best Of" compliations for organizations or fighters.

It would be a pretty daunting task to go through all of the UFC events in their entirety, nevermind getting into Pride as well (which is a must). If you must watch all of the UFCs, I'd recommend skipping ahead til about UFC 30-40. The first ones don't even really represent what MMA is today.

I'd also recommend watching a season or two of The Ultimate Fighter, if you think that would interest you. I would find it a lot easier to get into and digest than trying to watch a 3 hour event every night. People may knock it now, but I really think TUF Season 1 is pretty much required viewing for today''s MMA fan. Season 5 was very good as well.

[Posey H8er]

I definitely recommend watching some Pride cards. They had some of the best fights of all time. That's how I really got into the sport a couple years ago, it wasn't the UFC.

I stole a post from Sherdog I saw a while ago but it's useful for what this guy recommended. Some of the links don't work though. And for Pride you can easily catch up on fights by looking them up on Youtube.

shane30 wrote....

If you're new to MMA, or want to own some of the greatest MMA events in history, none of these DVDs will disappoint. I recommend them to everyone on this board who doesn't own them already. You can buy almost all of them at the Sherdog store. Also, many of the numbered Pride events are part of five DVD sets, so you can get five shows for the price of two.

If I left any notable events off this list, or made any mistakes, please let me know. I will update this list regularly, adding shows that get mentioned often.

I've bolded my five absolute favorite DVDs.





-UFC 1: The Beginning- Everyone knows how this one turned out, but it’s still something that every MMA fan needs to watch in its entirety. This show marks the birth of MMA in America, and the birth of the sport's most prolific promotion.
Amazon.com: Ultimate Fighting Championship Classics, Vol. 1: Ufc 1-Beginning: Movies & TV
(not available from Sherdog)

-UFC 8: David vs. Goliath- This one night, eight man, no limits tournament features Don Frye, Gary Goodridge, and Don Frye’s mustache. It is entertaining and educational from beginning to end.
Extreme Fighting - UFC Classics 8 Not Rated / Lions Gate Home Entertainment / DVD
(not available from Sherdog)

-UFC 12: Judgement Day- If you’ve ever wondered why Belfort used to be feared, this DVD will provide you with the answer. There are also plenty more old-school UFC fighters to see.
UFC 12 Judgement Day VHS, Video , UFC Store
(not available from Sherdog, only available on VHS)

-UFC 40: Vendetta- 8 fights, 8 finishes. Arlovski, Ortiz, Lawler, Newton, Hughes, Liddell, and Matyushenko, appear on this card.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 40 - Vendetta - Double DVD Set

-UFC 43: Meltdown- UFC 43 features an entertaining mix of old-school and current UFC fighters. The main event is Liddell vs. Couture I.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 43 + 44 - Two for One!

-UFC 47: It's On!- This card doesn’t have very many huge names, but it has plenty of big finishes and lots of entertaining fighters like Diaz, Arlovski, Sudo, and Yves. The main event is Tito vs. Liddell
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 47 + 48 - Two for One!

-UFC 49: Unfinished Business- There isn’t a dull fight on this entire card. The only fight that even goes to decision is Karo vs. Diaz. Lindland, Liddell, and Randy are also on the card.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 49 and 50 Two-Pack - Limited Time SALE

-UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2- This is my favorite UFC. The main card is stacked, including Liddell vs. Couture II and one of the most incredible fights I’ve ever seen, Hughes vs. Trigg II.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 52 - Couture vs Liddell

-UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2- Lots of big names and lots of finishes.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 66 - Liddell vs. Ortiz II

-UFC 79: Nemesis- Finally! Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell! Also, GSP faces Hughes for the third time. Neither fight disappoints.
Sherdog Online Store - UFC 79 - Nemesis

-UFC 84: Ill Will- This is a very exciting card featuring the LW superfight between BJ and Sherk. Also, a man who legally changed his name to War Machine gets choked unconscious in less than a minute.
General Sports - UFC 84: Ill Will Not Rated / First Look Home Entertainment / DVD
(not available from Sherdog)





-2000 Open Weight GP Finals- Many of the best fighters on the planet, including Royce, Sakuraba, Goodridge, and Coleman gathered to compete in a two event, 16 man tournament. Royce and Saku fought in a legendary 90 minute war.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Deluxe Collectors 3 DVD Set

-Pride 10: Return of the Warriors- This is a great showcase of old school Pride fighters.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE 10 Double DVD Set Ringside Collectors Series

-2003 Middle Weight GP- Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Alistair Overeem, Sakuraba, and Rampage all competed in the tournament. Cro Cop, Big Nog, and Fedor are also featured.
General Sports - PRIDE Grand Prix - 2003 Not Rated / Brentwood Home Video (BCI Eclipse LLC) / DVD
(not available from Sherdog)

-Critical Countdown 2004- This card is full of talented heavyweights and features some amazing fights and finishes, including Rampage vs. Arona.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004

-Pride 28: High Octane- The main event of this card is Rampage vs. Silva 2, which was one of the most brutal KOs ever. And Aleks vs. Thompson is always good for a laugh.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Legacy Vol 5
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE 28 - High Octane

-Shockwave 2004- The New Years show was always Pride's biggest event. There is a combined total of 9 current of former UFC or Pride champions on this card. And who could forget the atomic butt drop?
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Shockwave 2004 Double DVD Deluxe Set

-Pride 29: Fists of Fire- 10 fights. 7 KOs.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE 29 - Fists of Fire

-Bushido 7- One of the best Bushidos ever. Nonstop action and insanity. From the first fight on, you know this will be a show that you remember.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Bushido 7

-Critical Countdown 2005- Round 2 of the 2005 MW tournament. There's lots of great action on this card from Pride's two heaviest weight classes. Little Nog vs. Shogun is epic.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 Deluxe Double DVD Set

-Final Conflict 2005- The finals of the 2005 GP plus CC vs. Fedor!
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 Deluxe 2 DVD Set

-Bushido 9- This card includes the opening rounds of the LW and WW tournaments. Most people consider this the best Bushido event ever.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE - Bushido 9 2005 Tournament

-Shockwave 2005- It's Shockwave so you know the card is loaded. This event also featured the finals of the Bushido tournament.
Sherdog Online Store - PRIDE Shockwave 2005

-Total Elimination Absolute- This is round one of the 2006 open weight grand prix. No fight goes to decision, and some of the names on this card include Barnett, Aleks, Overeem, Werdum, Big Nog, and Cro Cop.
Movies Top Sellers - Pride-2006 Total Elimination

-Pride 33: The Second Coming- This was the best MMA event of 2007, as well as Pride's swan song. Gomi vs. Diaz and Hendo vs. Wandy are both unforgettable.
Sherdog Online Store - Pride 33 – The Second Coming

Other really good overall recent UFC events were 92 (Forrest/Evans, Nog/Mir, Rampage/Wanderlei), 100 (Brock/Mir, GSP/Alves, Hendo/Bisping), 102 (Couture/Nog, Jardine/Thiago Silva, Marquardt/Maia), and 107 (Penn/Sanchez, Mir/Kongo).

And basically any Pride card with Fedor or Wandlerlei fighting was entertaining. Cro Cop vs Fedor, Rampage vs Silva I&II, Lil Nog vs Shogun, all great fights.

[Cammo101]

The one thing everyone seems to agree on, is that UFC 52 is greatness.

[pduh01]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

[Nemesis21]

^ what they already said.

[Justin33]

Spike has free content weekly almost nightly.Including a live card Saturday.

[REDDzone]

If you must watch all of the UFCs, I'd recommend skipping ahead til about UFC 30-40. The first ones don't even really represent what MMA is today.

I'll disagree with this. I am also a relatively new MMA fan. I started out by watching more recent events to learn what the sport is really all about. But then I felt the need to go back to the beginning. I watched UFC 1-10 (1-8 maybe) and gained a HUGEEEE appreciation for this sport and how far its come in such a short amount of time.

[CPT]

If you must watch all of the UFCs, I'd recommend skipping ahead til about UFC 30-40. The first ones don't even really represent what MMA is today.

I'll disagree with this. I am also a relatively new MMA fan. I started out by watching more recent events to learn what the sport is really all about. But then I felt the need to go back to the beginning. I watched UFC 1-10 (1-8 maybe) and gained a HUGEEEE appreciation for this sport and how far its come in such a short amount of time.

I could see that, but I kind of feel like if a guy has 100+ UFC PPV events to watch, it might serve him well to just skip ahead, because for today's fan, they pretty much go in reverse in terms of relevance.

I'm not saying to never watch them, but for someone with any kind of life whatsoever, watching all of the UFC and Pride events could take about a year.

[Mike Hunt]

I was very much into UFC in it's early days. I used to rent WWF PPVs from the local video store a lot and then, one day, after realizing I'd seen everything at least 3 times, I noticed this UFC thing on the bottom shelf. I picked up the first two and loved them. kept renting them until UFC 7 or so, when my video store stopped carrying them.

Years later, when I saw that weight classes were introduced, I was disapponted (it lost its freakshow appeal). Then my buddy convinced me to go to a bar to watch a PPV (it was something around UFC 60). It ended up having a horrible main event of Arlovsky vs. Silvia and I was not a fan. I would still occasionally watch UFC stuff when nothing else was on but I didn't really care all that much about it.

It's only when the bar where I worked as a bouncer started airing the PPVs that my interest was drawn. This was only about a year ago. I think the first UFC we aired was Jackson vs. Jardine (UFC 96). That got me interested and then UFC 100's crowd got me absolutely amped. The show was solid, but the atmosphere is what got me going. For some reason, UFC 102's fight between Couture and Noguiera was also big in really getting me interested.

I've since watched a few TUF's (including an older one on the UFC website) and enjoy it quite a bit, though I really don't need the reality TV crap. I've also watched a few non UFC events with relative enjoyment (ie, Fedor's Strikeforce fight vs. Rodgers and occassional Bellator things. Also saw some Pride stuff at my buddy's place).

I'm still a much bigger fan of boxing. I think I like the idea of that clear line in boxing: Guy falls down, you don't hit him. You wait for the ref to see if he can take any more and then you go after him... It just feels more "right". I also like that in boxing, you're looking at two guys who are competing at the one thing they do best. In MMA, I find that guys who excel at one part of the sport (i.e., wrestling) often beat guys who are better rounded but not as dominant at that one aspect. It's interesting to see which wins in these situations but it can make for a boring fight (you don't always see two guys at their best because their bests are completely different from eachother.

The best thing MMA has (and in many other cases, this would not be the case) that boxing really could use is the one dominant promotion. As such matchmaking is easy. Fighters can't really say "no" to tough fights because they know it might affect their ability to get fights in the future. As such, 90% of fights (at least in the UFC, are fights that people actually want to see, as opposed to boxing where that number is closer to 10%. The frustrating thing is that MMA has proven that when it comes to fans, a fighter's talent and toughness is more important than a spotless record (Randy Couture is a legend and has an 18-10 record. Those 10 were against the best fighters in the world though). Boxing doesn't seem to get that. It's filled with individual promoters who are dead-set on protecting their fighters' legacies. The closest thing to a better approach to match-making in boxing, and I think you can attribute this to the emergence of MMA, is the super-six tournament organized by showtime. And that tournament has provided great entertainment so far and has also given exposure to a few lesser known fighters in the process.