Hero's 2006 Volume 3: Elimination
Review by Gary Graham  

Special 2-Disc Collectors Edition - Over 1½ Hours of Special Features!

 Hero’s is the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts event, which brings together competitors of various fighting styles to compete under full-contact MMA rules. Punch, kick, knee, elbow, grapple and submit - Hero’s is 100% pure Mixed Martial Arts entertainment!  Hero’s pulls no punches with this unbelievable event, which brings together many of the words biggest superstars to compete on one of the biggest and prestigious Hero’s events ever staged – the first round of the official Hero’s Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight Tournaments!  

Japanese fighting legend Kazushi Sakuraba makes his official comeback to the world of Mixed Martial Arts, and stands against the fearsome Kestutis Smirnovas in a fight that will keep you on the edge of your seat!  Also in the Light-Heavyweight division, the explosive Melvin Manhoef faces his first ever member of the famous Gracie family – Crosley Gracie. Will the Gracie name remain intact, and can Gracie control the fearsome strikes of Manhoef? This is an un-missable match-up!  

The remainder of the fight card is absolutely stacked with Mixed Martial Arts superstars such as Don Frye, Semmy Schilt, Rodrigo Gracie, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Caol Uno and many more!  This stunning 2-Disc Collector’s Edition is packed with Over 1½ HOURS of Special Features that take you behind the scenes of Hero’s, and allow you to experience the full excitement of the Worlds premier Mixed Martial Arts event, and to delve into the personal world of the fighters.  Fight Listing:

• Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kestutis Smirnovas
• Don Frye vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto
• Melvin Manhoef vs Crosley Gracie
• Semmy Schilt vs Kim Min Soo
• Caol Uno vs Kultar Gill
• Rodrigo Gracie vs Shungo Oyama
• Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Taiei Kin
• Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti vs Hiroyuki Takaya
• Hideo Tokoro vs Ivan Menjivar
• Rani Yahira vs Kazuya Yazuhiro

• Full event commentary by Howard Hughes and Pierre Guillet
• Bonus Fight: Alexandre Franca Nogueira vs Kotetsu Boku
• Training footage of Kazushi Sakuraba
• Training footage of Yoshihiro Akiyama
• Pre-Fight interviews with Semmy Schilt, Melvin Manhoef, Rodrigo Gracie and Kultar Gill
• FREE 30 minute ‘Countdown to Dynamite’ episode

The Review:This is my first MLSports release DVD to  review and to be honest when asked if we would like to start reviewing these DVD’s I had no idea what to expect.  I have only in the last couple of years started to get into the world of MMA and I am still learning all the names, moves and rules of the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). 

So my reviews are not from a seasoned MMA follower, but more of a new fan who is learning the ways of MMA. I suppose most of my MMA experience has come from Cage fighting so the chance to review some ring fighting MMA was a pretty new concept to me and one I can thankfully say was no disappointment. Hero’s 2006 – Elimination was staged in front of a packed house of 8870 in the Tokyo & Japanese Martial Arts Mansion, with a monster set, entrance ramp and lighting set up gave the show the look of a rock concert and immediately grabbed me as this was no small time MMA promotion but one of the big guns. 

DVD Case, Cover, Disc and Presentation: 5/5
The DVD case was high quality moulded blue coloured plastic with ease of use DVD release buttons.  The cover again of high quality with several of the parts of the cover matching the case colour.  The information on the rear of the cover was clear to read and understand.  The disc again top quality print and presentation.

DVD Menu and operation: 3.5/5
No major problems at all, nicely set out and easy to use, again navigating in picture links was hard due to the lack of highlight. 

Sound and Picture Quality: 4/5
First the sound quality was OK, the commentary team could be heard nice and clear, my only problem was that there was very little background/crowd noise and gave it an over dubbed feel. Picture quality was awesome all the way through with a nice use of graphics and some clever editing. 

Commentary: 3.5/5
The commentary was clear and concise, not over complicated and easy to follow. My only criticism for the commentary team was the fact that they were both play by play and no colour or excitement commentary was added.  At times this seemed dull and with the lack of crowd and fight noise mixed in made it feel dry at times. 

The main feature: 5/5
From the opening match in this elimination DVD right through to the last this show did not disappoint at all, with some of the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts battling it out in the ring kept me gripped from start to finish.  There did not seem to be a under card, mid card or main event feel to this event.  Every match had the same importance and most importantly the same intensity. One major thing that struck me was the sheer skill, speed and use of technical martial arts used. This was not like a lot of cage fighting events where most of the matches are slow, with a lot of stand up exchanges, this event was a lot of exciting holds, counters, punches, kicks and hair raising moments that would get even the most novice of MMA fans sitting on the edge of their seats.  Don’t get me wrong this is not just a technical master class; there are at times some brutal and bloody moments that will make even the hardest MMA fans squirm. 

Overall:I had little expectation at all and was blown away with the over all presentation, action and sheer excitement of this Mixed Martial Arts show.  If you have yet to experience MMA or like me only ever focused on the Cage style of fighting, then I would advise you to check out this DVD release from MLSports, you like me will soon come to realise there is more to MMA than fighting inside an 8 sided cage!  

This Double DVD can be ordered from http://www.mmauniverse.com/products/SS593 for only £12.99.  It can also be found at good retail outlets including Virgin Megastores.  (Prices may vary)

Screen Caps: