("Your perpetually-scowling welterweight with great jiu-jitsu, cardio, and trash-talk has died of dysentery.")
For over a month, we’ve been wondering who EA Sports will be able to recruit for its upcoming MMA video game — especially after Dana White’s proclamation that any fighter who signs with the competing title will be dead to him. But now that reports are starting to trickle out, let’s run it down…
— In a recent interview with MMA Wordwide, UFC/IFL/Strikeforce vet Benji Radach says that he starts work on the game next month, and will be in it along with Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko.
— Emelianenko’s involvement was confirmed by a press release distributed by mixfight.ru, which also named Gegard Mousasi as a participant.
— Tim Sylvia told the Hardcore Sports Rage radio show that he’s signed up to appear in the game, and that him and Randy Couture are being paid very well for their likenesses.
— In a MMASpot.net interview posted Sunday, Renato "Babalu" Sobral thanked EA Sports MMA among his sponsors.
— According to this ArmyTimes profile, Tim Kennedy will appear in the game.
We’ll update this list when more major names trickle out. In the meantime, hit up feedback@cagepotato.com if you hear of any other confirmed additions.
Related: Dana White has made it clear that it’s more than his natural competitive urge that’s driving his competition with the EA MMA game. From Yahoo! Sports:
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Comments
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:35
I'd buy it.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:35
Just like real life, Fedor can fight all the fighters that dont matter anymore. Interesting why Barnett isnt in the fold. I think you see him in the UFC sooner than later.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:36
A Renato return to UFC became even more unlikely... damn.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:36
nerds
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:38
what dana means to say when he quoted EA with "This isn’t a sport. We would never get involved in something like this." was that EA couldn't make the game with the UFC wanting 95% of the money that the game brought in.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:38
EA better have a shitload of pixels ready for Tim Sylvia's lard ass... they're gonna need a bigger boat.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:42
Not that I really give a shit what Tim Sylvia says, but am I the only one a bit taken back by the fact that White apparently said anyone who appears in this game will never fight for the UFC again, yet Randy Couture is one of the first people announced... Somone care to help me out with that?
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:44
It's funny how Dana White doesn't understand that what EA sports said was just business. That fucking hypocrite does the same thing all the fucking time. He bashes Fedor non-stop but if he were ever to sign him he would be given an immediate title shot because he knows Fedor is that damn good and it would make him a shit load of cash. Fucking idiot.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:45
I am tired of playing UFC undisputed with their heavyweights. Lame-o. Whats the point of being Cockchest if I can't lay the hammerfist on Randy?
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:48
Yeah, I think Dana White is just unleashing a tsunami of nonsense. If he doesn't want Fedor, Mousasi or Babalu he's craaaaazy.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:49
A winner is you!
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:51
in a year, we all get to watch Dana backpedal faster than Adrian Peterson running for a touchdown on super-rewind when the EA game is better made and makes more money than the THQ games... Dana always does this B.S. tough guy talk routine, but when his knuckleheaded-ness gets in the way of the Fertittas making money - watch Dana's stance shift quicker than he can throw out a homophobic slur.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:53
@ CZ Part of Randy's long-standing contract dispute was over likeness rights; as a result, he sought out more lucrative offers for his likeness during his off period - i.e., signed with EA for their game. So, one of Randy's stipulations upon re-entering the UFC was the maintenance of this exclusive contract he signed with EA.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:53
this makes me laff, hopefully they take out the fucking joystick spin and add double button for transitions and joysticks for submissions or blocks only. this game is already better than undisputed..and the crowd in undisputed looks like the chicken on chun li's stage in streetfighter
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:54
@ CZ I don't know this for a fact but I would guess Randy signed up to be in that game during his hiatus from the UFC. Also what about Alistair, Brett Rogers, Roy Nelson, HMC, Mark Hunt, Manhoef, Shit Jose Canseco. The Heavyweight division in this game is potentially STACKED.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:55
Platypus beat me to it...
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:58
Not to mention Arlovski, Barnett, Batista(why not he trains), Tank, Rickson....this list goes on, a UFC reject game could be awesome fun.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 12:59
I wish they could come out with a Strikeforce game so that I can have Nick Diaz and Cyborg fight each other. ...also, they need to put lots of blood in the game and the possibility for bone breaks. Don't tap? ...then SNAP!
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:00
@ping pong I bet they even could get some of the old school UFC fighters like Kimo, Taktarov, Joe Son, Hackney, and from other places too like Vovchanchyn, etc.... this could seriously turn out to be more fun than any current game just by going with the heavy old school flavor
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:04
Another question is, what will the name of this game be? And what promotion, if any, will they use? And then again, who will do the color commentary? I say they get Mike Schiavello with his one-liners, "He gets mounted more times than Jenna Haze", hilarious!! Oh and I formally request they sign Jason 'Mayhem' Miller to appear in the game, along with his signature entrances. And his special move should be a full mounted double hand slap and peace sign!!!
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:11
UFC Undisputed boasts 82 fighters...Fight Night has what like 20? Do you really think EA's MMA game is going to be able to put together a robust list as compelling as Undisputed for next year? You complain about using Lesnar too much...I'd love to hear what you say after you've played Fedor v. Randy for the 100th time. Might as well just create Fedor and Randy in next year's Undisputed and transfer the stats from the EA game. Easier to make 2 fighters, than to make 70 of them. The EA game is going to blow.... Have Mayhem's entrance all you want...guaranteed you watch it one time them button past it the following.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:18
Well its hard to say how good the game will be since we haven't seen any screens or gameplay videos. But I did enjoy Fight Night, it could possibly be a better game than UFC if they figure out how to employ kicks, takedowns, and grappling using the thumbsticks. Also the engine has better graphics, but then again it could suck. EA isn't exactly always known for their quality games. But having played Fight Night 4, the same team who is developing the game, it could be awesome. Oh and I always watch the entrances.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:20
hey flunkie, Fight Night Round 4 has 53 playable characters... and with considerably much more variance in fighting style than the limited ass scope Undisputed has...oh, and southpaws fight in the southpaw stance on EA games
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:23
One of the selling points of Fight Night is that when you play as Tyson, you move like Tyson. When you play as Ali, you move like Ali..... I would take that in place of characters like Tim Boetsch and the other 25 or so nobodies they would have to sacrifice to let Lyoto kick ass from the southpaw stance.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:29
@Biffmiester: Dude - that was fuckin' hilarious. Talk about "texture mapping."
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:29
Doesn't matter who they put in. I can beat any of them with Chun Li.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:31
This game will blow UFC 2009 Undisputed out of the water.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 01:35
One of the things I was disappointed in with Undisputed was that you could only pick from a limited set of styles. The game didn't have styles like Kung Fu, JKD, Karate (Machida uses kick-boxing?), Sambo, etc. I would have been happy if the game let you pick individual moves like WWE Smackdown vs. Raw so that you could fine-tune your created character exactly how you wanted and no two characters would be the same. They also need to add selectable signature moves like a spinning rondhouse kick or a jump kick or a haymaker, but I'm thinking that'll be implemented next year.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 02:20
i cant wait til everyone complains about the flaws in the ea game next year. and when it doesnt hit the sales of fight night or other top franchises, ea will dump the mma format. and really we are talking about a bi yearly game. it will release in 2010 and again in 2012, if ea doesnt drop it before then. read some complaints about fight night this year and you will realize that ea's first mma game will be far from great.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 02:31
Why the hell would Dana want Babalu? He sacked that douche real fast
Tue, 07/21/09 - 02:50
Put Bas in there and I'm sold.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 03:11
Does everyone live in a cage? EA is the leader of sports games, they will put everything into this game, or like always, they will just buy THQ and improve it.....thats gonna suck for you Dana.. Someday the fighters will get smart and form a union (like every other real sport has) and be allowed to make money off their likeness. R.I.P. Kimo (if it's true)....
Tue, 07/21/09 - 04:10
I think most people (gamers) would agree that Fight Night Round 4 was not as good as Fight Night Round 3. Everyone knew that EA Chicago put out an awesome product in FNR3 and that the Vancouver studio wasn't going to be able to touch the game. And for all you newbies...EA MMA game is going to be made out of the Tiburon Studio in Orlando...don't see too many fighting games being made out of there. And I doubt they're gonna pull resources from Madden/Tiger/NCAA to put on the MMA game. And really, when has EA made a good fighting/sports game with the exception of FN? Def Jam? WCW Mayhem? Cmon, go back and read the reviews...they were terrible...which is why EA abandoned making them. I'm sure the orthodox/southpaw stance will get ironed out next year, and I'm sure there are going to be more variations on the fighter styles than just what was presented last year. Bottom line is, THQ has a 3 year head start on EA, as well as owning the Fighting Category in terms of units and sales (look it up for yourself if you don't believe me). And show me how many sports games sell well inside the US w/out a major license attached to them...the answer zero! Just bow down to the UFC and bow down to THQ...cause you're playing Undisputed for a long time!
Tue, 07/21/09 - 05:05
up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A, select, start and Tim Sylvia shits his pants.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 05:14
@mmaflunkie: Yeah dude, Their non-boxing games were pretty heinous, and EA is hoping that not a lot of people realize that it's a bunch of completely unrelated studios cobbled together under one big, impressive umbrella. Just because one studio is kicking ass and taking names does not mean a blessed fucking thing if the other studios are turning out flaming monkey shit. There are three things about this game that bother me: 1) Promotion: Even if the EA MMA game sucks worse than a nearsighted hooker with braces, EA still has LOADS of money to sugar coat it so that people are amazed at how it looks. Especially with the UFC saying go fuck yourself to EA, they can make damn sure that this is the only way you're likely to see a Randy Couture/Fedor Emelianenko slug fest. 2) False Advertising: EA has also been called out on having created composite shots that look fucking amazing... but were in no way actual screen shots. Of course people are gonna be amazed. Of course they're gonna gush about it because it looks sweet...when it plays like an 8 Track tape. 3) Cut Scenes: Lots of game companies invest heavily in making cut scenes look sweet, because that's the shit that sells to your average jagoff gamer. Not the hardcore gamer, but the douchebag who falls for every Jedi Mind Trick in advertising.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 06:22
@mmaflunkie , @seoul brother : agreed i think everyone with half a brain knows those sweet little ea commercials with all the celebreties and amazing pre rendered video havent lived up to their full game offering. a few points 1) i love how people have come out and proclaim that ea is the leader in sports games and this is the reason it this game will be good. ea payed alot of money over to give the perception that they are the best. sonys recent mlb offerings have dominated the review scores of past mlb games and 2k sports have putting out quality nba and nhl games that rival ea counterparts. but look at sports that have peaked. nascar was once the fastes growing sport and now ea cant get rid of the license fast enough. they put a terrible team behind it and expected fans to buy the ea name. btw, how do you market a game to casual fans when your game is filled with fighters they have not heard of before? did you see a commercial for fight night rd 4 featuring joe calzaghe and kelly pavlik? no, because everyone in the face of this planet knows ali and tyson. fans will see randy and a bunch of fighters they dont know. personaly, i think the roster is awesome but i am not a casual mma or game 2) thq has been making great fighting games since 1997. sd vs raw has been a hit year in and year out wheteher yuo like pro wrestling or not. they used a great engine to base ufc on and made good improvements. i honestly cant wait to see how they tweeak it for next year (just like they do every year with sd vs raw). 3) brand association. really guys to you and i, ufc is just a company but to the casual fan( who will buy the majority of the copies of this game) the ufc is mma. ufc built that name and mma on espn is refered to as "ultimate fighting". ( to show proof)
Tue, 07/21/09 - 06:22
damn, wtf happened to my comments to get em deleted??? Didnt say or post anything I shouldnt have other then a couple links to info on the old PrideFC Ps2 game and the Real Fighting Championships game from korea with Fedor in it :/ Weird and bogus :/
Tue, 07/21/09 - 06:57
a question: would it be illegal for EA to put an unlockable heavyweight oaf in there by the name of Chestnar or etc?? Don't be a pussy EA- take a shot at DW
Tue, 07/21/09 - 07:20
I'd like to think that an EA based MMA game would do well, but I wouldn't give two dry shits if a different company like Square or Namco try and come out with an MMA game. Keep in mind that this has to do well not only in the US, but in Japan as well. Certainly MMA means a lot more there than it does here (thank you very much, John McCain. Now go fuck yourself). The mere fact that Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett have to be in "Do You Know Who I Am" ads in NYC speaks volumes about the assumed ignorance of the American public. Maybe if MMA were legalized in all 50 states, and maybe if there wasn't so much petty bullshit melodrama in "The Ultimate Fighter" (seriously guys, leave the bitchiness to real drama queens like the programming on Bravo) - maybe then we might have a market that woud support multiple titles. I'd love to see an EA MMA game, but if it fails (which in spite of its lineage it very well might), it's going to be that much harder for someone else to come up with an MMA title. And how fucking cool would a TRUE "Vale Tudo" game be with the heroes of MMA? While everyone talks about a Randy Couture/Fedor Emelianenko dream fight, I want to see Rickson Gracie fight Sakuraba Kazushi, even if it were for a video game.
Tue, 07/21/09 - 11:40
A Strikeforce game... with Gina Carano fighting... in Jello!
Thu, 07/23/09 - 06:54
Does anyone know which platforms the game will be on? I hope they don't snub the PS2 like Undisputed did.
Tue, 01/26/10 - 09:14
Agreed .. EA should put in some old schoolers ... let's do some vintage matchups .. Shamrock Vs Frye ... Dan Severin vs MArk Coleman, Tank Abbott Vs Vitor Belfort and for the bonus stage you get to drive Harold Howards truck through a casino .... !!!
Mon, 03/14/11 - 10:26
[...] Randy, Fedor, Sylvia, Babalu Tapped for ‘EA MMA’ Roster ListRandy Couture — who described Saturday night in Portland as the loudest audience he’s ever fought in front of — was given a hero’s reception by all the fans in attendance at UFC 102 as well as everyone he came across backstage. … Join the Cage Potato Mailing List… [...]
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