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The UFC's big bet to keep fighters fighting
This article contains images of violence that may upset or offend. If you're curious about what the world's preeminent mixed martial arts competition is like but did not pay as much as several thousand dollars for Madison Square Garden seats last Saturday, here are some of the sights UFC 217 offered: Light heavyweight prelim bout. Corey Anderson's head hits the canvas with a resounding whump. The culprit: a crashing left kick to the jaw from a now-strutting Ovince Saint Preux. Each replay of the knockout garners a spontaneous "oh!" -- equal parts exhilaration and wincing -- from the mostly male, disproportionately swole, crowd of 18,000. M.O.P.'s "Ante Up" plays after the bout. Heavyweight prelim bout. "Elbow him in the face!" a man yells as Walt Harris of Alabama and Mark Godbeer of England face off. There's no decisive elbow, but the 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Harris does plant a solid -- and illegal -- knee into Godbeer's groin. As the Brit backs off, Harris sends a kick to his face. The ref stops the fight and Harris is disqualified. Women's strawweight title bout. Fiery champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is dethroned in just over three minutes by Rose Namajunas, a lithe, quietly confident 5-foot-5 fighter with a buzz cut. Fighters often jockey for a dominant position over a grounded opponent from which to punch their head repeatedly -- known as "ground and pound" -- which can end a fight. In this case, Namajunas sinks Jedrzejczyk with a left hook, then pounces for a dozen or so punches to her defenseless skull until the champion surrenders. There were 11 fights in total; we haven't even gotten to the marquee event. Yet somehow, this was one of the less violent nights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 24-year existence.
'EA Sports UFC' looks to bring out the mixed martial arts fighter in you
Given the success of franchises like FIFA and Madden, it's easy to see why EA would want to commit valuable resources to developing an MMA title, a sport that's been getting bigger and bigger over the past few years. But the road for creating this new game, dubbed EA Sports UFC, wasn't an easy one. The relationship between UFC President Dana White and EA had its complications a few years ago. Back then, the developer reportedly wasn't interested in making a title for the mixed martial arts company, which is what started the kerfuffle between them. Because of this, UFC eventually hooked up with THQ to create a game, while EA Sports went on to develop its own MMA series. Still, neither of these things lasted too long. And after the unfortunate demise of THQ, EA Sports eventually reached a deal with UFC, granting it licensing rights for the popular MMA league. The by-product? EA Sports UFC.
