Fighting for a Generation: 20 Years of the UFC (2013) Reviews

• The Ultimate Story of UFC from Beginning to 2013

  nodnarb_aok2014-12-07

  I was very moved by this documentary. I started a workout at the gym and lucked out with 'Fighting for a Generation: 20 Years of the UFC' just beginning on the sports channel. By the end of my workout I was standing and watching transfixed. I actually waited for a commercial break so I could run up to my motel room and watch the rest without missing a moment. The trials, tribulations and triumphs the franchise journeyed through is storybook material and from my perspective, not a crazed fan but a well rounded viewer who started at the start, this documentary has in it as much as any fiction writer could have dreamed up. In early 1990's after watching the first few UFCs and Royce Gracie's grappling dominance amidst a frenzy of blood and violence I was both shocked that such craziness was allowed and surprised that a wiry skillful fighter could bring a submission style to the game and come out on top. One thing I was sure of is someone was going to end up losing their life in there. This documentary helped me see that despite first appearances the sport has enough controls and checks to prevent the participants from danger more so than boxing. Also I got to pick up on all that I missed when UFC disappeared into its Dark Ages era. In the end it fueled my fan hood with the drama, iconic champions and events that led it to rise up again. A must watch for any who are even remotely fans of MMA and the UFC.

• HANDS. DOWN. BEST. DOCUMENTARY. EVER. A Trip Down the Memory Lane of the Greatest Sport in the World, the UFC, and How Bright the Future Is.

  Wiseau_Serious2014-03-21

  Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. UFC. Ultimate Fighting Championship. I couldn't remember much of 1993, the day of UFC's debut event UFC 1, therein the birth of mixed martial arts (MMA) as we know it, mainly because I was just a kid who watches WWE instead. Nearly a decade later, I saw my first UFC fight. It was Tito Ortiz vs Evan Tanner (may his soul be at peace in heaven). I can't know for sure how did I end up watching it, maybe in my cousin's place or a friend's or I was just switching channels, but the moment Tito body-slammed Tanner and knocked him out, I didn't know how to react or what to say but "HOLY ****. HOLY ****ING ****." That's when I knew that this is it, this is the real deal. I started following UFC since then, though only occasionally. I wasn't a "hardcore" guy, at least not yet. Then UFC's reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) airs at the height of reality of TV shows era. And I knew I had to tune in for some reason, so I did until the end, and then the finale came. And it all changed, not just for me (I totally became a hardcore UFC guy, so hardcore I'm thinking now of becoming a professional fighter, for real), but the entire landscape of all sports ever known to man. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar slugged it out in a fight that will be remembered more than Achilles vs Hector of Troy and David vs Goliath combined. It was that good. And the rest, as they say, is history. Fighting For A Generation: 20 Years Of The UFC is a celebration of all these and a lot more. All the notable events in the sport's glorious history are here, from the early "tournament days", the "Dark Ages", how TUF changed everything, the WEC and PrideFC acquisitions, the monumental UFC 100, inclusion of a women's division, memorable fights and highlights, etc. all told by notable people Art Davie (the co-founder of UFC), Royce Gracie (pioneer and first UFC winner), Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta (who are the owners of Zuffa LLC company who purchased the UFC from SEG in 1999), Dana White (UFC President) and so many fighters from today and the yesteryears. But what I really love about the whole documentary is the genuine retelling of the evolution of sport, the fights and the fighters from first UFC event till today from the perspective of the people who are actually very involved in them and that how passionate they are. For the first time ever, I saw UFC commentator (and former Fear Factor host) Joe Rogan shred some happy tears. Oh and Joe, if you're ever gonna read this review, I got to tell you you're the best & greatest play-by- play commentator and best & greatest post-fight interviewer in all of sports, man. Tell Dana too he's the best & greatest executive I've ever known. I meant both, really, proud of you guys. I mean, you just see how these guys love the UFC and that they're such fans, and I felt that every single word they ever said and I know how for real they are. It just resonates in the documentary and if you're a fan like us and you followed the sport for quite some time, you'd get this sort of magical feeling that you're part of this in some way and you'd know how grateful you are to be around when all these are happening. I know I am, truly. I mean, I get to tell stories to my kids and grand kids in the future that I've seen the undisputed, pound-for-pound best & greatest fighter ever born, Anderson Silva, I mean just how damn cool is that? Dana said it best, "Fighting is in our DNA; we get it and we like it." We do, and we thank you Dana and everybody in the UFC, the fighters, behind-the- scenes guys, bells and whistles guys, etc. just all of you amazing folks. And this is why this is the BEST DOCUMENTARY EVER MADE. Because it's from the heart and soul of everyone in the UFC. There is this sense of pure sincerity in it and you believe that stars did align for this thing, how successful and massive UFC is not just in America but all over the world, because it's from the great sacrifice of blood, sweat and tears (literally and figuratively) of all the men and women that became part of it. And it can only get bigger and better. Hats off UFC, we look forward to the next 20 years, the next 200 years, the next 2,000 years and so on and so forth. Greatest Sport in the World, indeed. WOW.