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Ultimate Fighting Championship Classics, Vol. 6
These days, the UFC is a true sport of mixed martial arts with rules, weight classes, and a solid base of evolved techniques and combat skills. In its original conception, the UFC was an altogether different animal based upon the ‟no holds barred‟ concept popularized in Brazil's Vale tudo circuit where fighters of different disciplines would square off, few rules, no real weight classes, a much more primitive and novelty based idea of combat.
Its safe to say that a UFC fighter of today can be appreciate more for their athleticism, but the fighters of old, while rougher around the edges, can be appreciated for their sheer guts. The appeal for viewers (and for the fighters, I guess) was that no one knew exactly what would happen when two big dudes with different fighting backgrounds got in there and squared off toe-to-toe. In the old days, it was very much a feeling out process that, more or less, is lacking in sophistication and therein lies the appeal. (For another UFC background blurb and event review: click here.
UFC 6: ‟Clash of the Titans‟ took place on July 14th, 1996 in Casper Wyoming. Commentators for the event were Bruce Beck, Jeff Blatnick, and Slaughter himself, Jim Brown, who opens with an unconvincing, ‟I'm pumped. I'm in Wyoming...‟ The event would showcase its usual eight man tournament format with the added attraction of a ‟Superfight‟.
First up is David ‟Tank‟ Abbot Vs. John Matua: The first five stars of the UFC were unquestionably Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Tank. This was Tank's first UFC fight. Abbot looks like the kind of guy who would ride up to a Sturges Kentucky Fried Chicken on a chopper and ask for a pitcher of beer and a bucket of chicken with extra skin.
Tank calls himself a ‟Pitfighter‟. 6'2, 400 pound Matua says he is an expert in the ‟Hawaiian art of bone-breaking‟. This fight is still talked about today for its dramatic knockout. The two walk up to each other, Tank tees off with some right hands, finally landing one square on Matua's jaw and Matua is knocked cold, goes completely stiff, legs straight, arms out, falls backward hitting his head on the canvas, arms and legs still mannequin-like. Tense moment afterward as Matua is cared for and quite a way to start the night.
Cal Worsham Vs. Paul Varlens: Worsham is described as a Tae Kwon Do fighter; whereas Varlens has the more mysterious description of ‟Trapfighter.‟ Varlens has around ten inches in height and seventy pounds on Worsham. The two go at it like a couple of Rock Em' Sock Em' Robots leading Jim Brown to proclaim post-fight, ‟I did not see discipline in that. I just saw swinging.‟
Camera pans across the arena- Leon Spinks in the crowd!
Rudyard Mancayo Vs. Pat Smith: What do you wear in a ‟no holds barred‟ fight? Kempo Karate fighter Mancayo comes out in spandex pants while Kickboxer and UFC 1 veteran Smith opts for a wrestling singlet. Smith charges from the start and lands a front kick that plants Mancayo on his keister. As Mancayo tries to get up, Smith head locks him, they wrestle for a bit, and Smith quickly chokes Mancayo out.
Camera pans across the arena- David Hasselhoff in the crowd!
David Benetaeu Vs. Oleg Taktarov: Wrestler Beneteau and Sambo specialist Taktarov both made good showings in UFC 5 and the pitting of the two grapplers was an astute match up. Still new to the US, I have absolutely no idea what Taktarov says in his prefight interview other than, ‟I can win.‟ Beneteau gets a takedown, the two scramble to their feet throwing some crazy, blind, schoolyard punches at each other. When Oleg gets a takedown of his own, Beneteau's lack of submission knowledge seals his fate.
Camera pans across the arena- John Wayne Bobbitt in the crowd!
Tank vs. Varlens: The first semi-final match. Tank has already endeared himself to the crowd with his KO, so they chant ‟Tank, Tank, Tank...‟ Tank takes down the massive (which is saying something because Tanks no slouch in the beefy department, himself) Varlens and pins him against the cage, peppering him with punches, planting a knee on Varlen's head and digging it in, all the while smiling at the crowd. In his post-fight interview, Tank again endears himself to the raucous crowd by remarking as he watches the match highlight replay, ‟You better take that off. I'm getting sexually aroused.‟
A little downtime (thankfully edited down quite a bit from the live pay per view broadcast). Smith is out of his semi-final because of stomach cramps. Shots of the crowd wandering around, mugging and drunkenly hollering into the camera reminds me of what my friends and I used to do while watching the ppv, we'd play ‟Spot the Mullet.‟ With early UFC's, there were many because it was the mid-90's and most of the UFC's took place in the South or middle America where the mullet still reigned supreme.
Taktarov Vs. Anthony Macias: The crowd inexplicably boos from the get-go. Alternate replacement for Pat Smith, kickboxer Macias oddly opts to try and take the fight to the ground, which is Taktarov's strength not his. Macias tries a takedown, grabbing hold of Taktarov's leg, so Oleg uses the bad move as a chance to sink in a choke on Macias exposed neck. Indicative of early UFC's, where knowledge of submission gapping was still not well-known, the commentators ignorantly grumble about the quick finish blaming Macias lack of heart not the fact that carotid artery just got squeezed by an expert sub fighter.
Interview with Marco Raus. The ‟King of the Streets‟ and developer of his own mixed combat fighting art, Ruas Vale Tudo, promotes his upcoming appearance at the next UFC where he would indeed make a splash as that tourney's champion.
Then we get to the co-main event ‟Superbout‟ of Ken Shamrock Vs. Dan Severn: The previous and first UFC ‟Superbout‟ was a total snoozer at UFC 5 between Royce Gracie and Shamrock. Shamrock, in a purple speedo that he is still, to this day, mocked for wearing, and Severn grapple on their feet for a bit. Shammy punches and tries a choke which Severn powers out of easily. A bit more feeling out, then Severn goes for a double leg takedown and amazingly the smaller Shamrock proves his muscle by sinking in the guillotine choke, this time tight enough that Severn cannot defend from it and is forced to tap out. Shamrock is crowned as the first ‟Superfight‟ Champion.
Tournament finals Tank Vs. Taktarov: The high elevation of the event finally comes into play. Not exactly good for the cardio to hold a fight tournament in such thin air. After the first two minutes of this eighteen minute war of attrition, Tank is winded and visibly spent. Tank rocks Oleg, who wants the fight on the ground. A no-gas-in-the-Tank eventually takes down Taktarov, who is content to lay there in guard, tying up and searching for a submission while Tank tries to catch some breath. Both men are huffing- not easy to be a 300 pound brawler, not easy to have a 300 pound brawler on top of you. To the feet, some tired punching, then back to the mat. Eventually, after a stand up, Tank misses some punches and Oleg follows Tank, who crashes down to the mat, and the fresher submission fighter sinks in a rear naked choke. The fight ends and neither man has the energy to stand.
The DVD: Lions Gate
Picture: Full-screen, Standard. This transfer is taken from the edited source used for the vhs release. It looks pretty good, though this isn't the kind of broadcast that screamed fantastic production values and occurred long before the days of any kind of high definition sporting event.
Sound: 2.0 Stereo. Again, given the source, a decent presentation. Not much to go into, basic tv quality, pretty simple.
Extras: Again, they miss a prime extra by not including the alternate matches which were filmed but never saw broadcast. The only extra is an excellent twelve minute retrospective ‟Two Worlds Collide‟. Severn and Taktarov are interviewed about the event, along with mma journalist Josh Gross. What makes this extra great are Taktarov's recollections about his dedication to training, paranoia of being pre-fight poisoned, and the shocking reason he was so dazed after his win over Tank (lets just say it was an inept EMT). The only real shortcoming with the retrospective is that it doesn't including the brash, trash talking Tank's thoughts on the event.
Conclusion: UFC 6 is a damn good early UFC event. The tournament has some good matches, an interesitng outcome, and a decent "Superfight". Recent converts will be flabbergasted by the, shall we say, rough quality of the fights and the production, so they may want to test the waters with a rental. Old school fans will want to pick up the DVD's and reminisce about its ‟bloodsport‟ days and the rawness of it all. Those going in completely green should be aware of the extreme difference between what UFC was and what it has become.
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