Customer Reviews

Ultimate Fighting Championship 1 [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This review is based on the tape i viewed in PAL format and not NTSC.
What i liked about this tape is that the fighters knew little or nothing from their opponent. In that time there was also little or no cross-traing. Every fighter represents their specific style. But from this first UFC event it becomes clear that Brazilian Jiu Jiutsu will become the dominant style in this type of combat.
To give you an idea what you can espect, i tell you about an interview that is on this tape with Kevin Rosier who is participating in this event. The interviewer asks him what his strategy is. Kevin answers: "Let him hit me".
I was very excited to see Gerard Gordeau competing in this tournament because he, like myself, is from the Netherlands and i like the art of karate with he represents. The action is wild and very hard. You will see a very big SUMO wrestler who is not able to stop a karate champion and gets kicked and punched in the face when he is down on the ground. You will see two big guys who are both kickboxing champions really hurting and punishing eachother. But also you will learn about the effectiveness of the art of brazilian Jiu Jiutsu as Royce Gracie demonstrates his techniques in bringing opponents much heavier then himself to the ground and then shows great finishing techniques in the groundfight.
Because it is the first UFC and in many ways a historical moment in history of MMA i would recommend this DVD. It looks good with your collection.

I really thought that this was one of the best UFC's. Great fighters(Gracie, Smith, Shamrock, Gordeau), great fights, and a ton of action. The Shamrock/Smith and Shamrock/Gracie fights are classic and the opening bout between the Sumo wrestler and the Savate fighter is very entertaining. A must buy!

The first bout sets the tempo for the UFC for a long time... Striker v. Grappler, Big guy vs. Little guy, strength v. skill. Most of the matches went down with the striker v. grappler format (except Frazier v. Rosier which had these two pounding the snot out of each other). The Big guy/ small guy format would later be the theme for an entire event (UFC 8). This is the show that started it all. Things may have changed since then, but this show captured the imagination of the fans.

The first UFC includes plenty of brutal excitement, and you should get it if you are a fan of this type of competetion. The matches are all quick, and most are one sided. Also, the referee does a horrible job. Solid commentary, although only Jim Brown gets invited back for 2. Plenty of classic moments, from Tuli's tooth, to Pat Smith in the leg lock, to the rather anti-climatic final.

Equally entertaining for both the historic Shamrock-Gracie I fight and as a time capsule of the Gracie family, back when they were still a family.

This is the UFC that started it all. Only one bad match (Gracie vs. Jimmerson), and a few great ones. Even though some of the fighters lacked the skill that everyone now has in the UFC, they made the fights interesting. In fact, only two of the fighters who participated in UFC I would still be effective in the UFC today. This is still a great buy which every UFC fan should get.

This is the first and in my opinion one of the best UFC tapes one can own. It is a must to see or own if you are a UFC fan. It is too bad that some of these combatants didn't show up in subsequent UFC events. This was truly the only NO HOLDS of the UFCs.

As an avid fan of MMA since the beginning, I bought this video in the old-school VHS format when it first came out. Even then I knew this would be huge.

The idea of matching up different disciplines, different warriors, different armies has been around forever. There are still people who contend that Muhammad Ali could knock out anyone, or that Bruce Lee could beat the tar out of 10 guys like in his movies. Well, UFC #1 began to answer the age old questions of who is the toughest, who is the best, which fighting style is the most beneficial, and who could prove it.

First and foremost, this has two of the legends of the sport: Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. Other notable fighters include Gerard Gordeau and Patrick Smith. There were no weight classes for this tournament, and the fights were untimed.

Here are the lessons from UFC #1:
1) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the superior fighting style
2) The judges were horrifically unprepared. It's interesting to note that the judges in UFC #1 were vale tudo guys, and that vale tudo translates roughly in English to "everything is allowed." Why have judges? More on that in a moment.
3) Absolutely nobody saw BJJ coming. Patrick Smith loses to Ken Shamrock via heel hook, and it's excruciating to see Smith realize too late that it's going to be painful enough for him to tap out.

Most of the fights are one-sided and quick, with only one fight lasting longer than 2 minutes.

Back to the officiating of UFC #1. When Gracie choked out Shamrock, and Shamrock clearly tapped, the official doesn't stop the fight. It's baffling to see now. There is even a minor argument about the legitimacy of the tap out. As a result of the poor officiating, Gracie got Gordeau in a rear naked choke and held on WELL after the official stopped the fight, wanting to ensure that there was no doubt. There is no way that MMA would have advanced beyond a few seasons if this officiating continued.

This is a great addition to anyone's collection. To see how ridiculously unprepared everyone is for BJJ - especially the ease with which Royce Gracie continually gains the mount position - is almost comical for even the average fan today. This is the beginning, people, and you'll enjoy how different it is.

The first taste the US got of NHB combat. This UFC did a great job of getting 8 different Martial Arts stylists together in a pretty exciting tournament. The first fight between Teila Tuli and Gerald Gordeau set the pace to how this tounrnament is going to be.

A must buy for a mixed martial arts fan in order to see the changes in the sport since 1994. However, I would buy it new from the UFC for 15 bucks.