Plot: What’s it about?
The world of mixed martial arts has several venues, but few can come close to the intense realm that is the Pride Fighting Championships. Pride hosts some of the world’s most renowned combatants and places them on an even stage, where the men can showcase their skills against fighters from all across the world. You can see kickboxers, karate experts, jiu-jitsu masters, and all kind of other warriors, all with a single goal, to defeat all comers. As a fan of mixed martial arts, I have viewed a number of the Pride events and most have been excellent, but the Pride Grand Prix 2003 is one of the best. A middleweight tournament loaded with all stars headlines the two event show, but numerous bonus fights add even more excitement. You’ll see heavy hitters galore like Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba, Quinton Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro-Cop, and numerous others. If you’re a fan of mixed martial arts, you cannot miss the Pride Grand Prix 2003. This four disc collection from BCI Eclipse has both events, plus a generous assortment of supplements. Below is a fight card for each event.
Round One
1. Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
2. Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
3. Mirko Cro-Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
4. Antonio Rodorigo Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez
5. Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
6. Chuck Liddell vs. Alastair Overeem
7. Fedor Emilianenko vs. Gary Goodridge
Round Two
1. Mirko Cro-Cop vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kevin Randleman
3. Heath Herring vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto
4. Dan Henderson vs. Murilo Bustamante
5. Gary Goodridge vs. Dan Bobish
Plus the semifinals and finals of the Grand Prix!
Video: How does it look?
The events are presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. I’ve been pleased with the transfers on these Pride discs, although some flaws seem to be present in them all, which is a slight let down. I noticed some minor compression errors and slight pixilation in places, though as usual, nothing too serious. But the image is more refined than you’d see on VHS or television, so this is the way to see the Pride events, no doubt about it.
Audio: How does it sound?
Although the included stereo option won’t shake the paints off the walls, it handles the material well and of course, that’s what counts. The action inside the ring sounds clean and never muffled, so all the bumps, thumps, and slaps are crystal clear at all times. You can also hear the crowd noise quite well, provided they’re not hushed in awe, which often happens at Pride events. The announcers are also easy to hear and understand, with no issues to discuss there. Solid work here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes backstage footage, uncut interviews with the fighters, fighter profiles, and some interview outtakes. The usual Pride extras are back also, such as a look at the Pride Ring Girls, the music of the promotion, commercials, MMA guide, and list of Pride’s rules.
