It’s time for another gear review! This time, The Fight Nerd brought the Ringside Gel Body Protector (courtesy of MMA Opinion) out to the New York Black Belt Center in Whitestone, NY, to be tested by these olympic-level Tae Kwon Do students. After all, who kicks harder to the body than TKD guys who wear chest protectors for their fights? Does this piece of equipment withstand their hard kicks, or does it explode and break like the time these guys ruined the Power Kicker? Watch the review to find out!

Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Shopping Guide for MMA fans for the scoop on the best products to buy this season for your fight fans!

Remember those foam gloves you used to wear as a kid in your karate or tae kwon do classes? I do, and man, did I hate those stupid things. Thankfully, it’s been many years since then, and while the gear is still relatively the same, many advancements have been made. Case in point, the Macho Sparring Genesis Gloves, from Macho.

The Fight Nerd brought these karate gloves to the New York Black Belt Center in Whitestone, NY, to have them tested by the skilled hands of their black belt students. Did the gloves hold up to the test, or did they explode upon impact like the last thing we brought to that school, the power kicker? Watch the video to find out! Gloves courtesy of Karate Depot.

If you liked this review, you might also like to check out these too: Fuel Fight Gear X2 Sparring Gloves and Lace-Guards review, Knockout Athletics “Evo Sparring Gloves” Review, and the Review of the “KD Elite Pro Quality Curved Shield”.

UFC 129 was the biggest live event in the history of the UFC, with a record-setting crowd of over 55,000 packing into the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. With two titles on the line, as well as the career of the legendary Randy Couture, and a stacked card that pitted American talent against Canadians in nearly every bout, it was set to be a night to remember. Thanks to Anchor Bay, you can watch this epic event with their two-disc special edition of the show.

Yes sir, with this two-disc set you can relive all of the thrilling moments of UFC 129, such as the lackluster welterweight championship fight between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields. Okay, I am being harsh for no reason, but other than that match which was not the worst MMA fight ever (only a very painful one to watch) you get to see all of the other great fights in their widescreen glory. Added to that are a bunch of bonus features to keep you glued to your seat and entertained for just a bit longer. Sadly, no coupons to “Pizza Hut” were included so I could make a full day out of watching this DVD, but that’s not their fault. It’s mine for liking “Pizza Hut” and their barely-edible pizza.

With that said, is this event truly worth owning, or does it fall as short as the main event did? Hit the jump for the full review of this DVD!

UFC 129 was a great event to watch live, whether we were watching Jose Aldo battle Mark Hominick in an amazing war (and watching Mark Hominick’s head swell up like a watermelon), Randy Couture’s career end with Lyoto Machida’s impression of “The Karate Kid”, or GSP… well, in a fight. I can’t blame Anchor Bay for GSP and Jake Shields having a dud of a fight, but I can compliment them for bringing home all of the matches, from the top of the card from Facebook all the way through the main event of the pay-per-view.

The preliminary fights on Facebook were truly not be missed, and I am excited that they are all here on disc two. I remember being extremely excited to see Charlie Valencia take on Ivan Menjivar (two fighters I enjoy a great deal), and watching Menjivar destroy Valencia’s nose was a thing of beauty. John Makdessi VS Kyle Watson, Nate Diaz VS Rory MacDonald, Sean Pierson VS Jake Ellenberger and many more tremendous bouts are here to supplement the main card on disc one, and that adds up to hours of top-quality MMA entertainment.

Disc two also houses all of the special bonus footage in this set. The Behind the scenes feature is definitely my favorite of the bonus features, and brings you backstage and around the town during the week of UFC 129. Cameras take us not just backstage during the pay-per-view, but give us footage of the fighters working out before hand, and even show how the technical staff put together this immense show. According to the technical producer, the acoustics of UFC 129 was second only to an AC/DC concert held at the Rogers Centre, so that’s a pretty huge event. You also get to watch GSP’s pre-fight ritual of pretending to go through the actual fight the day before his title bout, which he does for purposes of visualization and relaxation for the real thing. This feature clocks in at just under 20 minutes long, which is also about the same length as the “Super 7″ question and answers session with all of the UFC title holders in the same room at the same time.

The other major bonus feature is the full 40 minute-long “Countdown to UFC 129″ video, which you may have seen on Spike TV when it originally aired. This video hyped the main attractions of the show, and like all of their “Countdown” shows is a pleasure to watch to learn about the fighters and see some well-made highlight reels of each fighter. If you have a friend who is new to MMA and wants to get into it more, this is something to definitely show them to help them appreciate the sport more and gain some insight on what they are seeing, as well as who. Beyond that, there are also some trailers for other UFC DVD’s from Anchor Bay, but we will hopefully review those DVD’s in full another day.

I do wish that there was perhaps a highlight reel of the weigh-ins and some highlights from the post-fight press conference, but I can get a lot of that online without paying for it so not a major loss. Overall, no complaints here, and the price is right for the material you are getting. Even if you were not a fan of the main event (and who really was), that is only twenty-five minutes in a set that is 318 minutes long. Plus, that is why God make a skip button on your DVD player! Don’t let one subpar fight mar your memory of the rest of this show, and relive why this card was so exciting the first time you watched it.

UFC 129 is available in stores for a retail price of 19.98, but you can find it on “UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields” on Amazon.com for 15.99. The official DVD goes on sale on July 5, so pre-order your copy now if you want to have this historic event in your collection today.

Time for another gear review! This time we look at the KD Elite Pro Quality Curved kicking shield, courtesy of EliteMMA.com and Karatedepot.com. We put this pad to the test with the fast and powerful feet of Tae Kwon Do black belts, who spend a lot of time kicking similar shields to this targeted body area. Will it survive the test or tear apart at the seams?

If you are in the market for other shields and pads, check out our reviews of the Aries Fight Gear focus mitts, Ring to Cage focus mitts and the Knockout Athletics focus mitts. Filmed at the New York Black Belt Center in Whitestone, Queens, NY.

Considered the most important fighter in mixed martial arts history, Royce Gracie is a legend in the sport he helped define. On May 10, Anchor Bay Entertainment will release “UFC: Ultimate Royce Gracie”, a two-disc tribute to this UFC Hall of Fame member. Available on DVD and Blu-ray, this set documents the earliest days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the rise of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through it’s first MMA champion on American soil.

Lucky for you, dear readers, The Fight Nerd happens to have a copy before the official release date! As is customary, it’s time for me to fill you in on the details of this product and let you know if it’s worth opening up your wallet, or if it should be avoided like Akebono’s body odor! Hit the jump for the full review of this upcoming release!

When I first saw the DVD packaging, I was a bit underwhelmed. The casing was not your typical plastic DVD case, and at a first glance it looked cheap and worn, resembling a book more than a DVD. I was justified to make that comparision, as once I ripped the plastic off it, I realized that it was meant to look like a book and not like your run of the mill DVD, and that is actually pretty cool.

Once you open the cover of the case, you see that there is a booklet inside the DVD with photos and stories about Royce, along with many quotes. Sadly, the booklet is not removable and is part of the DVD itself, but that’s a small price to pay for a very unique package. Once you get past the booklet, you are led to a neatly folded section that opens to reveal the two discs, each housed in their own page. Disc one has an 80 minute documentary about Royce along with all of his UFC fights, while disc two has his UFC Hall of Fame induction, his Pride Grand Prix 2000 fights, his bizarre MMA fight with Hidehiko Yoshida and his bout against Matt Hughes at his last UFC appearance. I was very worried that this was a flimsy looking case at first, but in reality the packaging is sturdy and very interactive with the way you unfold every aspect of it and treat it like a book. Now let’s jump into the content of the DVD’s, starting with the documentary about Royce!

The doc starts off more like a commercial for today’s UFC than it does for Royce. Current UFC stars like Georges St. Pierre, Matt Serra, Lyoto Machida, and Kenny Florian give testimonial to the man along with their (and other fighters) best moments caught on film, as well as UFC President Dana White, Joe Rogan and even his wife Marianne Gracie among a score of others. Royce himself does not say anything until about six minutes into the documentary, and very little at that. Kid Peligro, author of “The Gracie Way” and well-known grappling aficionado & encyclopedia, acts as the historical voice of the early portion of the video, intertwined with an occasional remark or anecdote from Royce to add more personal details. The pair relate the brief origins of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, covering the family’s first step into Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and the transformation into their innovative style, as well as covering their early challenge matches. From there, it becomes a history of the early UFC events and the inside info from the fighters and promoters.

Let’s talk a bit more about who else appears in the documentary and who does not. Outside of Royler Gracie and Rolker, no other members of the Gracie family appear, which is unfortunate since Rorion played a big role in the beginning of the UFC as well as bringing BJJ into America. Rorion and Rickson are both mentioned in depth, but we do not hear their voices. Art Davie, one of the men who made the first UFC event happen, has his chance to speak as well, but interestingly enough Bob Meyrowitz is not featured, nor any other members of the SEG UFC group. In terms of classic UFC fighters, we get Dan Severn, Keith Hackney, Jason Delucia and Art Jimmerson, who breaks down the infamous one-glove scenario at UFC 1. However, there is no Ken Shamrock, which is disappointing considering how epic their feud was in the golden age of MMA, and how much unfinished business these two men still have.

I actually heard a few stories I had not heard before, and it was interesting to hear from many of Royce’s opponents from the SEG days (if you want to hear those stories, you will have to watch the DVD). Royce’s time in Japan is passed over very briefly and covered in under a minute, and only talks about the Pride Grand Prix in 2000. Of course, there is no mention of his sequel match with Sakuraba since that was in K-1, and his comeback match against Matt Hughes at UFC 60 is also discussed very briefly.

One of my biggest criticisms of the documentary is the spinning of some of the fights. I just mentioned UFC 60 above, and to sum up the outcome, even though Royce lost it was still a victory because Hughes used BJJ to win. When Royce fought Sakuraba, he blames an injury from a kick Sak threw and that is why he threw in the towel, not that he got no offense in a 90-minute match and was fatigued and frustrated and outclassed by his opponent. They also refer to Sakuraba as “legendary” which is indisputable, but when he fought Royce he was still a rising star. His fight against Royce and the Gracie family is what began to cement his stardom and legacy in the sport.

This can be a very one-sided doc at times, but I may be expecting too much from it. You won’t hear about the controversy surrounding his first match with Hidehiko Yoshida from Pride Shockwave 2002, nor any of the stories about his time in K-1, and rightfully so since the focus is the UFC and Zuffa-owned materials. This is not like the Renzo Gracie “Legacy” documentary which showed footage from Pride, IFL, and fights from Brazil, this is really more of a fluffy look back at some classic UFC moments, often with their twist on it.

Modern UFC fighters also make their voices heard every now and then, which seems tacked on and a way for viewers who will eventually see this when it airs on “Spike TV” down the line to be enticed into watching the rest of the doc. There is an excess of highlight reel moments shown for little reason other than because they can, as well as a ton of Joe Roganism’s that are unnecessary other than to draw in more mainstream viewers. I really wish there was more from Royce, but perhaps it was a language problem that barred them from having more of Royce speaking in it. Don’t get me wrong, he is in this plenty, but many of the stories are told about him and not by him.

If you take it for what it is, the documentary is not bad but it is not the definitive Royce Gracie biography. Is that a negative point? I guess not, since this is a UFC-produced documentary after all, and there are more pros than cons when you take it as a whole. There are still many inside stories from the past here and it’s a good look at some vintage fighting with the pioneers of the sport, but if you want a more in-depth story about the entire family then check out Kid Peligro’s book, “The Gracie Way”.

Having the majority of Royce’s MMA fights in one set is also a plus, since it’s really only missing his two K-1 fights and the grappling match with Yoshida from Pride. This set boasts six hours of content, with a quarter of that being from his 90-minute match with Sakuraba, and it delivers with a plethora of old school MMA delights. For the suggested retail price of $24.99 for the DVD’s and $34.99 for the Blu-ray version, I say go for it. However, you can order “UFC: Ultimate Royce Gracie” from Amazon.com for around $16 new, or “UFC: Ultimate Royce Gracie” from Amazon.com for around $21 new.

If you are a fan of old school MMA, you will be happy to have this added to your collection. If you are a newer fan of the sport and want to get your feet wet for the old days, get this and let it be an introduction to the past (but not your single source of info). I nitpick a lot as my dedicated readers will know, and the documentary was the only place where I had my major gripes, but they are easy to get past and it’s still a very watchable doc with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, so I am willing to take the good with the bad, since the good outweighs the bad.

It’s time for another gear review! We have reviewed MMA gloves, kicking shields and focus mitts before, now we take a look at something different – thai liniment! This magical elixir that originated in Thailand supposedly keeps your muscles loose and warm while training, and also prevents injuries and improves healing time with bumps and bruises. It used to be something you had to travel to Asia to get, but now Namman Muay sells it stateside. So, does this enchanted voodoo from Thailand really work or is it all a big marketing ploy? We brought it to a muay thai gym, Five Points Academy in Chinatown, and an MMA gym, Evolution Combat Club in Long Island, to get two different perspectives on “the yellow stuff” and see if it really works or if it’s all a load of hooey!

If you want to learn more about Namman Muay or order a bottle for yourself, head to this link over here.

It’s time for another gear review! We continue to look at Ring to Cage today, as last time we tried out their pro focus mitts which were given a mostly positive review but many improvements were discovered that could have been made to make them much better. Today, we slide on their Safety Sparring MMA Gloves at Progressive Martial Arts in Queens, NY. For the price of $50, are these sparring gloves worth buying or will they fall apart at the seams like others have before them?

To learn more about the school we tested these gloves out, go to ProgressiveMartialArts.com. For more info on Ring to Cage and their line of products, head to RingToCage.com.

One week later and we are still looking at MMA gear and equipment, and why not? It’s just days away from Christmas and I am sure there are plenty of last-minute shoppers browsing the internet for ideas. Last week, we reviewed focus mitts from Aries Fight Gear and Ring to Cage, gel hand wraps from Combat Sports International, the Shock Doctor Custom Mouthguard Kit, and on Friday, Roman Fight Gear’s pro-MMA gloves.

Today, we take a look at a piece of equipment that falls outside the lines of MMA and into traditional martial arts. I first saw the Power Kicker at the MMA World Expo 2010 and was intrigued by it and managed to get a sample from the company. When I brought it to some MMA gyms, they just looked puzzled or felt they could not do much with it. So, to be fair and unbiased, I went to a school that I knew could use it – the New York Black Belt Center in Whitestone, NY. This elite Tae Kwon Do school, run by Master Joe Lupo, was the perfect testing grounds for this unique item and saying that we pushed it to the limits was an understatement. This test was the first time that the product actually broke on us (aside from when we intentionally tried to break the Nutty Buddy groin cup), so with a busted target, we pushed on to see if it could redeem itself after the mishap.

Check out the video to see if Santa is bringing the Power Kicker any presents this year or if he is leaving the manufacturers a lump of coal! And if you want to learn more about the NY Black Belt Center, check out NYBBC.org.

UPDATE: Jan. 6, 2011 – The people at Power Kicker gave me a call and told me that thanks to this review, they caught a manufacturing error in all units made before January 2011. I have been told they have fixed the base to make it stronger and moving forward, should not bend like it did here. We will be reviewing an updated version of this product in the coming months to see if that holds up any better.

Yup, we got another gear review to help you last-minute shoppers out before Christmas. The past four day we reviewed focus mitts from Aries Fight Gear and Ring to Cage, gel hand wraps from Combat Sports International, and yesterday the Shock Doctor Custom Mouthguard Kit.

Today, we look at the Roman Fight Gear professional MMA “Battling Gloves”, from RomanFightGear.com, with Team Renegade over at Tiger Martial Arts in Long Island, NY. These gloves are intended for actual competition, but these days with MMA products, everything claims to be used in the cage, but not many of those products live up to the hype. Will these gloves be worthy of their name and price tag or will they be just another glove to not bother with? Watch the video to find out!

Time for yet another gear review! So far this week, we reviewed focus mitts from Aries Fight Gear and Ring to Cage, and gel hand wraps from Combat Sports International. Today, we take a look at a piece of equipment that took us weeks to review!

On this episode, we take a look at Shock Doctor’s custom mouth guard kit, which is a do-it-yourself package that lets you mold your own professional quality mouthpiece and have it made just for you. This item also comes with a temporary mouthguard in case you have no others while you wait for your special one to be made. We headed to NY Combat Sambo where we had three different fighters test out both the temporary mouthpiece as well as the custom one, and documented the entire process, from molding them, how long it took for the finished pieces to arrive, and seeing how well both fared in combat situations.

For more info on this gym, head to NYCombatSambo.com, and for more on this product, head to ShockDoctor.com.