A legendary event in Japan Pride Fighting matches the world's elite fighters in competitions of honor and art. Imagine Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner versus Kick Boxer Judo specialist versus Wrestler...this is Pride Fighting. Each match is the culmination of years of training by these athletes the finest representatives of their martial art who not only compete for victory but also to defend their fighting style! From big-time knockouts to punishing submissions you don't want to miss the drama spectacle and excitement of Pride Fighting!This is Legacy...the first five events in their entirety from Pride's legendary early years.System Requirements:Running Time: Approx. 670 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/FIGHTING UPC: 787364617692
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: pride legacy vol 3 Comment: very good all on time all in good nick must buy Customer Rating: Summary: Not Pride's best, but still well worth the investment Comment: The early years of Pride were an odd contrast to the no-holds barred, bar room brawling nature of the early UFCs. The upstart Japanese orginization was able to attract alot of the sport's early legends, but mismatches were frequent. Unlike those Early UFC events which still hold much entertianment value as a result of their brutal and primitive nature, many of these matches were between skilled fighters who had yet to fully develop: as a result some matches ended up being stalemates in which both fighters had too much respect for one another and lacked the experience to mount a meaningful offense. A particuarly bad example of this is the match between Dan Sevren and Kimo, which was so attrociously boring that the ever respectful Japanese crowd began booing, something I have yet to see since.
Yet in alongside of these lackluster fights are many classics. Perhaps no two fighters shone as bright in early Pride as Mark Kerr and Kazushi Sakuraba. Kerr is now remembered as a cautionary tale of the sport; an incredibly promising fighter who fell victim to personal insecurities and an addiction to pain killers. None of those problems are apparent in his fights here, as he displays the dominance that earned him the nickname "The Smashing Machine" to, at times, an almost disturbing degree. On the flipside of Kerr's brutal style is Sakuraba, who later became a legend by defeating four Gracies including Royce. He was just starting his career but already showed the tremendous amount of skill and showmanship that would win him the hearts of fans all over the world. His bout with Carlos Newton is a wonder to watch and stands as one of the most entertianing and impressive displays of grappling in MMA history.
The collection isn't just about Kerr and Sakuraba though. Fighters like Rickson Gracie and Igor Vovchanchyn have impressive displays here, as well as other impressive matches. While it isn't as strong as later Pride events, it remains a must see for true MMA fans. Customer Rating: Summary: The start of something new... Comment: I have to admit that it took me a long time to become a Pride FC fan. When I heard of another MMA event outside of the UFC I was very excited... until I actually watched. These early Pride events are in almost every way boring to an extreme seldom seen outside of soccer. There are a couple (literally a couple) of good fights on this collection, but overall this really isn't worth the time or money unless you are a hardcore collector looking for a piece of MMA history. Pride really has come a very long way. If you are used to seeing current Pride events and have not been exposed to these first events, you will more than likely have little to no interest in this collection. Save your time and money for the later Pride events. Customer Rating: Summary: gets a bit boring, but by Pride # 5, you could tell that the sport had already changed fo the better Comment: It was really hard to watch some of these early fights and just watch guys lay on their back foir 10 minutes at a time.
Now some of the fights were absolutely amazing. Watching Mark Kerr one almost has to ask if this guy could possibly be beaten. He has one extremely short fight and a couple others but I am looking forward to seeing some more of this guy. Gary Goodrich is fun to watch. Many many other good fighters too.
One fight to look out for is a 600 lb. man vs. a 169 lb. man. I will be sure not to tell you the ending, but it was exciting. Only a couple fights that were as bad as this, but soem REALLY good gems in here. And I got this thing from the local used store in the 3 for 10 bucks rack. I would have payed 25 for it. Of course when you get it that cheap, you have to wonder. So here are the problems. All 5 discs come in a package that should hold one and the picture quality could be a little better. Brentwood actually puts out a nice, cheap set here. Customer Rating: Summary: Pride Fighting Championship joins the world of mainstream MMA Comment: This DVD set covers the first 5 Pride events. Pride Fighting hit the mainstream several years after the UFC had already begun spurring interest in the sport of mixed martial arts, so Pride Fighting received immediate recognition, especially in Japan, where the events are held.
Many veterans of the UFC make appearances at these events and on this collection. We get to witness a fight between Kimo and Dan "The Beast" Severn, Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge, the Gracie brothers (especially Rickson), Marco Ruas, Carlos Newton, Sakuraba, etc... Mark "The Specimen" Kerr debuts in Pride 2 and makes quite a splash in the sport. Vitor Belfort also takes on Sakuraba in Pride 5. This comes after Belfort is beaten in the UFC by Randy Couture, so it would appear he would be fighting with vengeance, yet Sakuraba picks him apart. Belfort appears to all but give up during the fight. He breaks down in an embarassing performance. Mark Coleman also debuts in Pride 5. He, too, was coming off of some losses in the UFC. He is stopped with a submission in a shocking loss to Takada.
Pride Fighting, especially in its early years, does not seem to be quite as exciting or quite as large a production as the UFC, but there is a lot of fighting history to be witnessed on these DVDs. Pride Fighting is going strong today and this collection marks its' genesis. I recommend it to any fan of MMA. There is also commentary by Pancrase legend Bas Rutton, which is an added bonus.
I will be purchasing the other sets so that I can catch up.
