Search - Pride Fighting Championships: Bad Blood - Ringside Collector's Edition on DVD

Bad Blood... not that Good (no spoilers)

Ghostman | LA, CA | 04/26/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This isn't a terrible PPV. There are a few memorable matches, such as Antonio Nogueira vs Enson Inoue and the main event Ken Shamrock vs Don Frye. However, the product in its entirety isn't as exciting as it seems on paper.

I expected a lot more out of Bad Blood, than I got. If you're looking for a PPV stacked with swift finishes and shocking upsets, this is the wrong DVD. Most of the fights (or hugging contests), go quite the distance, namely Alex Stiebling vs Wallid Ismail and Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn. Other matches are simply too predictable, including the ones worth watching.

The Special Features on Disc 2 are decent, collecting some uncut interviews and backstage clips of the fighters before and after. If anything after a rather dreary seminar of matches, the "Outtakes" with Ken Shamrock and Don Frye shooting to promote the PPV warrant a viewing to lift your spirit.

The fight card is as follows (no spoilers):

- Tom Erikson vs Tim Catalfo (4/10)
This match could've been held at King of the Cage.

- Alex Stiebling vs Wallid Ismail (5/10)
True to all of Wallid Ismail's matches, feel free to fast forward 90% of it.

- Carlos Newton vs Jose "Pele" Landi-Jones (8/10)
The first solid fight of the night.

- Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn (6/10)
How did this match go wrong?

- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Enson Inoue (8/10)
The most thrilling bout in the PPV.

- Wanderlei Silva vs Kiyoshi Tamura (7/10)
It's not the typical slugfest you'd expect from a Silva fight.

Main Event:
- Ken Shamrock vs Don Frye (8/10)
Although Shamrock and Frye lose steam quickly, their emotional struggle is what really makes this fight.

Bonus Match (disc 2):
- Daijiro Matsui vs Rodrigo Gracie (5/10)
Nothing special...

Pride 19: Bad Blood is definitely one for the faithful. I'd probably not recommend it to conventional fans, who don't thoroughly appreciate the sport. In other words, it's somewhat of a snoozefest. But something tells me you're gonna have to watch it and decide that for yourself.

The booking looks excellent on paper, no doubt. Perhaps the last few matches aren't as bad as my conviction. Yet when the event is analyzed as a whole, from start to finish, the introduction fights are reliable substitutes to counting sheep. And by the time business starts picking up, Bad Blood is a little too late to be great."

Pride Fighting Championships 19: Bad Blood

Matt | NJ | 09/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I hadn't heard the best reviews for this double-DVD edition of Pride Fighting 19: Bad Blood. We are still in the rapidly developing stages of Pride and getting big names such as Shamrock and Frye (both "legends" of the UFC) is nothing but good for business.

Tom Erikson v. Tim Catalfo:
This one doesn't last long, but it is difficult to tell whether or not the win was that impressive, given the fighters involved. You will see what I mean... but a decent opening to the event.

Alex Steibling v. Wallid Ismail:
Ismail is a freak. He will creep you out in his pre-fight interview, with his child-molester stare and his odd speech pattern... but out in the ring, he's a serious fighter. These two are amped to get at each other, but for all the buildup, there is truly no clear winner after the first 10 minutes of fighting. The action picks up in the 2nd and comes to a head in the 3rd, when the winner becomes apparent.

Carlos Newton v. Jose "Pele" Landi:
I don't particularly like Pele, but I do respect his fighting ability. He annoys me with his behavior and demeanor, but he also entertains me. He is overconfident in this fight against the soft-spoken Newton. The battle goes back and forth and both fighters find themselves in trouble at different points in the fight, but the fight ends abruptly and unexpectedly at the end of the 1st round. Great fight.

Heath Herring v. Igor Vovchanchyn:
Herring is a wildman and you see it here against the slugger, Vovchanchyn. Herring controls early - and Vovchanchyn then surprisingly gets a few consecutive takedowns. As usual, he is not able to do much damage on the ground, but he makes it a good fight. The pace is fairly steady throughout - this is a very decent bout that ultimately goes to a decision.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira v. Enson Inoue:
Submissions end up telling the tale in this fight, rather quickly.

Wanderlei Silva v. Kiyoshi Tamura:
Silva, one of the most entertaining fighters ever to fight in mixed martial arts, steps in against Kiyoshi Tamura, with whom I was not particularly familiar. Nevertheless, I was anticipating another awesome Wanderlei Silva fight. He controls Tamura early with effective ground & pound and the fight ends in very exciting fashion early in the 2nd round. Classic Silva!

Ken Shamrock v. Don Frye:
In the pre-fight interviews, Don Frye says that he respects Ken as a fighter - Shamrock refuses to make the same claim. Shamrock finds reasons to dislike fighters simply to hype the fight. He rarely makes sense when he speaks, causing his fans to slowly lose respect for him as the years pass (ultimately leading to the pitiful state of his current "I hate Tito Ortiz"-based career)... These two trade body-blows in the clench during the first round. There is a LOT of clenching in this fight. Shamrock makes a few weak leglock and toehold submission attempts but, there's nothing there. They seem to be fighthing an "old man's" fight: clenching the whole time, landing weak body shots and engaging in standing exchanges for only seconds at a time. Frye remains crisper than Shamrock, expelling less energy throughout. This is revealed early in the 3rd round. The action then again fizzles after this moment of excitement. This one goes to a split decision and the decision is fair. So ends the "Bad Blood".

This event was far better than the reviews I had read indicated it would be. The matchups were not exactly legendary, but the fighters were. Silva, Nogueira, Frye, Shamrock, Herring, Vovchanchyn, Newton and Pele each contribute to another great Pride Fighting event. The bonus disc includes extended interviews with Frye and Shamrock (and a hidden interview with Wallid Ismail's crazy @ss). Recommended."