Search - Ultimate Fighting Championship Classics, Vol. 5 on DVD

UFC 5: The Return of The Beast

Matt | NJ | 09/18/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"April 7, 1995

Independence Arena

Charlotte, North Carolina



On this night in UFC history, we would see the first "superfight". A fight set up to ensure that Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock would face one another, without having to first endure a number of tournament fights to get there. This sounds like a great ideam right? The UFC is still developing at this point and it's looking better with each event, although it still had a way to go in terms of becoming legitimately accepted by mainstream America.



The first televised fight of the night was Andy Anderson v. John Hess:

Anderson comes in quite stoic and composed. Hess appears to be the same, at least until the fight begins. John Hess loses his mind. He abandons all technique, throwing wild strikes and flailing all around the ring. He actually appears to be chasing Anderson around the octagon at one point. Anderson remains calm, though. This fight is interesting and somewhat exciting, but not too technical.



Todd Medina v. Larry Cureton:

Cureton is a firefighter from Jersey City, New Jersey, who is called "thunderfoot" for some ungodly reason. In this fight, we get to see the true impact Royce Gracie and the Gracie family is beginning to have on all of mixed martial arts, as Cureton employs the "Gracie guard" upon finding himself on his back early in the fight. This is a jui jitsu tactic, but the Gracies are the ones bringing it to light in American competition. It doesn't do all that much to help Cureton in this fight, but it does mark part of the development of the fighting style we see in mixed martial arts today. At least we got to see a bit of technique in this fight.



Ernest Verdicia v. Oleg Taktarov:

Oleg "The Russian Bear" Taktarov comes to the UFC with a good deal of hype behind him. Taktarov is patient in this fight, waiting for Verdicia to open himself up.



Joe "The Ghetto Man" Charles v. Dan "The Beast" Severn:

Severn is coming off of his championship loss to Royce Gracie in UFC 4. He claims to have reformed his training regimen for this tournament and he promises different results this time. He won't have to face Gracie again, as Royce is not participating in this tourmanent. Severn takes it very seriously, nonetheless, as he begins making his way through the competition. This bout is brief.



Dave Beneteau v. Todd Medina:

Beneteau had won his exhibition fight earlier in the night. It had not been aired, but Beneteau won by TKO very quickly in the first round. Beneteau steps in for John Hess, who injured his hand during his fight with Andy Anderson. At this point, everyone is basically waiting to see Taktarov/Severn... Beneteau seems to be controlling the fight, although doing no real damage until he begins to employ some ground & pound.



SUPERFIGHT!

Royce Gracie v. Ken Shamrock:

This should be awesome... Would it go the same way it went in their first fight? Would Gracie submit Shamrock with ease once again or had Shamrock come up with a foolproof gameplan this time? Who knows... none of that even comes into play in their fight. Shamrock falls into Gracie's guard and is content to remain there for over 31 minutes, until they are stood up for an umpromptu "overtime" round. The overtime round is really all that is worth watching, so feel free to fast-forward through their 30+ minute cuddling session. Shamrock is content to stay in this position because he won't be submitted and Gracie stays in this position waiting for a submission opening, also content not to be struck. What a letdown this fight was, from all angles and in every aspect. Referee John McCarthy constantly urges them to fight, but neither of them really ever does.



FINALS:

Oleg Taktarov v. Dan Severn:

The Bear vs. The Beast. Severn lets the beast loose early, smothering Taktarov. Severn tries to pound Taktarov out, while Taktarov tries to submit Severn. These are two very good fighters in a very good fight. This one is worth seeing, but it doesn't quite make up for the superfight letdown. It is a great piece of UFC history, though. These are two of the all-time favorite UFC fighters facing off early in UFC competition.



The DVD includes a UFC 5 retrospective."

Not so hot.

death | USA | 08/12/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This event features plenty of boredom. Plenty of two fighters laying on the mat in the exact same position for long periods of time. It also features what I always thought to be the biggest UFC blunder, the 'superfight'. If you are a hardcore collector then this will be a good DVD to pick up for your collection. If not, I would strongly recommend saving your money for UFC 6."

The Return of the Beast and the first Superfight!

greverio | Centreville, Virginia United States | 09/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With ferocity never quite seen before in the relatively short life of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); wrestler Dan "the Beast" Severn steamrolled thru his first two opponents in UFC IV, placing him in the finals against the most decorated fighter in UFC history. His Greco-Roman skills were put to the test against Royce Gracie in a 15 minute battle. Unfortunately, for Severn the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert was able to secure a triangle choke forcing him to tap out. Fast forward 5 months later to the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, where once again Severn would have an opportunity to win the UFC tournament. With experience on his side, he looked to take what he could not in the previous show.



Before UFC V, all UFC's centered on the main tournament. In this format, one fighter, Royce Gracie dominated all but one tournament in route to glory. Fresh off his latest tournament victory in UFC IV, Gracie was now asked to participate in only one fight dubbed the "Superfight". His opponent was a familiar foe, but eager to prove his skills in a rematch against the Brazilian. Ken Shamrock was back and finally got his rematch against Gracie, their bout would be scheduled for 30 minutes with a 5 minute over time period if needed.



The fighters involved in the main draw (tournament) were all for the most part rookies in MMA and the UFC.



Andy Anderson - A veteran of bare knuckle challenge matches who was short, but very bulky.



John Hess - A confident, agile, and serious big man ready to impose his style (SAFTA) on his opponents.



Larry Cureton - Another large fighter, who was a kickboxer.



Todd Medina - A religious man who listed "Jeet Kune Do" as his discipline. He was a big man first and foremost and was ready to win.



Oleg Taktarov - A Russian Sambo expert with experience in amateur competition. He looked on paper as a serious ground fighter.



Ernie Verdicia - The fighting Paramedic who was a Kempo stylist. He looked to use his fast hands to win.



Joe Charles - The "Ghetto Man" was back after a quick UFC IV fight. He was an expert in Judo.



Dan Severn - Decorated wrestler with experience (UFC IV) and redemption on his mind.



Dave Beneteau - Canadian wrestler with fast hands. He was very balanced for a fighter of his era.



The tournament would feature a rather large field of fighters of different disciplines. Still though, it was the fighters that knew how to fight on the ground that would separate themselves from the pack and emerge as threats. In this tournament an alternate would play a big role and a fight would be stopped due to blood. All in all, a good and rather quick tournament solidifying a place in history for the victor.



The first Superfight would be just that: Super. The fight was an epic in terms of time (36:00), but left many asking for more afterwards. Unfortunately, this fight would not produce a true winner."

Terrible Event

J. Curnow | 07/24/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I've seen almost all of the UFC events, and I assure you that this is one of the worst ones available on DVD. The superfight between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie did not live up to the hype even in the slightest, and it was mostly just Ken Shamrock laying on top of Royce Gracie in a defensive Jiu-Jitsu posture for about 35 minutes. It was one of the top 3 worst fights I've personally been exposed to in the UFC, and the other fights(with the exception of just a couple) in this event were not that impressive at all. And the main event consisting of Dan Severn winning the championship, also, was not that impressive at all.



I do not recommend spending even 4-5 dollars on this product, and I recommend purchasing UFC 6 instead, which is the debut of "Tank" Abbot."