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WEF 8: Going Platinum

Matt | NJ | 08/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This appears to be a decent production. They even have Steven "The Fight Professor" Quadros from Pride Fighting on commentary. In this event, we get to see some fighters who either already were or who went on to become great forces in the world of mixed martial arts. Some of the more notable moments are as follows:

Matt Hughes v. Jorge Pereira:
Matt Hughes' recors was only 14-1 at this time, giving you an idea as to where he was in his stellar career. Pereira also had an impressive record of 9-1, with his only loss being to Pele, who appears at this WEF show in the main event. In the bout, Pereira wisely pulls guard before Hughes can slam him. He gets up for a second and Hughes lands a solid punch that puts him right back on the ground. Hughes gets a great slam and dominates Pereira with his ground and pound. The towel is thrown in after only one round. It's great to see Matt Hughes fights that occur outside of the UFC, as you won't be seeing that these days.

Jens Pulver v. Phil Johns:
Johns is an accomplished wrestler. Pulver is making a name for himself at the time as a very well-rounded fighter. This is before he goes on that amazing run in the UFC. This one ends suddenly. Awesome!

Brad Kohler v. Renato Sobral:
This was before Renato was called "Babalu". This is also right after Kohler landed that highlight reel KO on Steve Judson in the UFC. Kohler's power and striking ability are apparent, but Sobral is a technician, who also happens to be able to strike. This fight is not all that exciting, mostly due to Kohler remaining too calm and reserved during the fight. Let's just say this, Sobral is not a "soccer style" kicker... Good ending.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira v. Jeremy Horn:
We know that Nogueira goes on to be one of the best heavyweight fighters in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships - and we all know that Horn is one of the most recognizeable fighters in all of MMA. This fight should have been a lot more exciting than it was. I mean, I certainly appreciate getting to see these two fight and it is a technical fight, but you need one fighter to take some chances somewhere along the line. That doesn't really happen in this fight. The crowd shows their impatience and the fight ultimately goes to a decision.

John Lewis v. Laverne Clark:
John Lewis, in his UFC debut, put on a great show and was highly touted for his speed and athleticism. This bout isn't the best display of that ability. The fight goes to a decision.

Pat Miletich v. Jose "Pele" Landi:
I don't know if it was just my copy of the DVD, but the DVD freezes at about 3:30 into the fight and I could not get it to play the remainder. I won't factor this into my review, as I am reviewing the EVENT, rather than the DVD. The fight looks good up until this point and I was able to look the rseult up on sherdog.com. You can do the same - but it would be great to see these two standout figured in MMA go at it.

This is a great event. The DVD is bare-bones and very low-budget, but the calibur of the fighters at this event is pretty much as good as it gets. I recommend seeing this if you're interested in seeing great fighters early in their careers, rather than if you're interested in the spectacle of the more recent UFC events."