mixed martial arts
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Fighter flips over his character rating in EA Sports MMA
What happens when you put professional mixed martial arts fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller in a room with a bunch of EA Sports devs who are working on an MMA game, then reveal to Mr. Mayhem that his virtual representation's stats are pretty terrible? Hilarity ensues. Unless you're Rob Hydar, lead developer on the title. In that case, replace "hilarity" with "pure, unadulterated terror." Watch the video after the jump to witness the proceedings unfold in a very NSFW manner. We realize that not everyone will enjoy the violence depicted in the clip -- but we think we can all rally behind that awesome ball pit/conference table. [Via GameDaily]
UFC president confirms war with EA, blacklisting fighters
UFC President Dana White threw off the gloves at Saturday's UFC 100 event, making heated comments about Electronic Arts and its upcoming title, MMA. White stated that he was literally "at war" with the game company and confirmed the rumored plan to ban/blacklist fighters from UFC if they choose to make appearances in EA's new game.White's anger toward EA stems from accusations that the gaming giant was originally "disgusted" with the thought of making a mixed martial arts title. Said White to MMAJunkie.com: "EA Sports told us, you're not a real sport. We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this." According to White, EA's reversal and attempt at an MMA game is a huge slap in his face and to the fans. "You know what the difference is?" White rhetorically asked. "I'm in the mixed martial arts business. EA isn't. EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear." It sounds to us like UFC 101 will get an extra match on the card. EA's John Riccitiello versus UFC's Dana White. We'd pay top dollar for that.[Via Kotaku]
Rumor: UFC to ban fighters that sign on for EA's MMA
There's been a pretty crazy rumor floating around. originating from the mixedmartialarts.com forums. The rumor states that UFC will blacklist any fighter that chooses to be a part of EA's upcoming game, MMA. That means should any fighter sign up to be represented in EA's game, they won't ever be endorsed by the UFC or asked to join. Crazy, right?It makes sense, though, considering how well UFC 2009 Undisputed sold. UFC has a bona fide franchise on its hands, and will likely begin prepping for a sequel soon (if not already), and doesn't want that threatened by EA's game. But, hey, can't we all just get along? This isn't football, after all.We've put in word to UFC corporate about the rumor and will be sure to get back to you as soon as we hear something.[Via BloodyElbow; Thanks, Ryan!]
EA Sports MMA: If it's in any martial art, it's in the game [update]
EA just announced a new EA Sports game (most likely a new EA Sports series, because, you know, EA Sports): EA Sports MMA. The company didn't announce any platforms, but we assume that not only will the game feature multiple fighting techniques, but will also release on multiple consoles. Did you see what we did there? Related the content of the game to the platforms? No?[Update: the press release confirms this as coming out in 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360!]
EA keeping 'a very close eye on' mixed martial arts
Speaking to IGN, expert Rock Band player, tattoo connoisseur and EA head honcho Peter Moore intimated that he'd like to see his company tackle mixed martial arts. While he stated that the company is "incredibly excited" about Fight Night -- presumably Round 4 -- he believes that boxing is "the past of fighting" and mixed martial arts is "the future." Before we get the guy in charge of negotiating UFC license fees too excited, we should note that Moore didn't mention any specific plans regarding the sport, only stating "when we look at where people's attention is going, that's something we keep a very close eye on."Beyond that, THQ currently holds the rights to UFC games until 2011. That said, EA is not shy about acquiring licenses and THQ is in no shape for a bidding war. UFC licensing guy waits with bated breath.
