The prospect of getting into EA Sports UFC — let alone MMA — can seem quite daunting, as there is a lot to know about the sport. Not only are there the basic concepts (striking, grappling, submissions), but the sport has so many variations and permutations on each of these foundations. On top of that, each fighter has his/her own idiosyncrasies and tendencies. Then, to make it even more complicated, it's important to understand why these techniques matter in a given situation and how they should be used correctly. In other words, there is a great deal to learn. Still, by understanding some of the key ideas, you can get a handle on some of what you're seeing and try and build upon that.

Of course, the big thing to remember when attempting to understand something like EA Sports UFC is that it's a videogame, and a videogame, like it or not, isn't like the real thing. When we have player agency, we change the very nature of something that is normally viewed passively. Of course, some people actually participate in the sports they watch, but that's still an entirely different proposition than pressing buttons to fire off techniques. When you have the kind of freedom a videogame affords, the penalty of certain actions isn't made clear (read: getting tired), so it's easy to fall into old habits of button-mashers from years gone by. In fact, new players may try and gravitate towards those tried-and-true strategies from other games, which may limit their successes as well as their enjoyment of the game.

It's my hope that these few tips and reminders can help to clarify some of what MMA is about so that you might be able to approach EA Sports UFC with some understanding of what the game has going on under the hood and so that you might better succeed at enjoying it.


To keep it real simple, you have three paths to victory in an MMA match (and in EA Sports UFC): knockout, submission or decision. When you understand those basic paths to victory, it can help you create a better game plan. A knockout in EA Sports UFC either comes from hitting a guy in the head or stomach so much that he falls over and can't continue or when the referee stops the fight (via TKO). A submission comes from a grappling hold that either puts pressure on a body part or chokes the other fighter out. A decision win comes from going through all rounds (three or five) and being the more effective fighter than your opponent — winning "on points," in other words.


When you're in the middle of a fight, things may change. You might be successful punching an opponent in the head for your first match, but that might not work so well in your fourteenth match. You have to be able to adjust to the ebb and flow of a given match. But on the most basic level, understand what your objective is for the match — knocking the guy senseless, making him tap out or outlasting him.


Now that you have a handle on what you need to do in the octagon, you have to decide who you're going to do your business with. Whether you're playing offline or online will dictate some of this, but be sure to check out the various ratings and abilities that each fighter has, as they can decide your fortunes quite a bit. Of course, having some foreknowledge of a fighter can really help (such as Frank Mir being a submission specialist or Benson Henderson having great cardio), but sometimes looks can be deceiving. Roy Nelson, for instance, is a heavyweight striker with deadly punches, but he also has great grappling and submissions — something that isn't obvious by looking at his chubby frame.

Also, since the game gives fighters specific "abilities," you'll want to get familiar with those so that you know what benefits you might receive if you pick them. If you choose "marathoner" as one of the abilities in career mode, that's incredibly useful. This means that stamina will be recovered even when a fighter moves. Since stamina is like gold, this is useful intel. Just the same, someone with "Weathering Storms" is going to take no damage when they block during a health event (being stunned or staggered). This is huge, and it can get you out of some tricky spots. Try out some fighters in the exhibition mode to see which ones suit your pace and style. Go to "Fight Now" in order to see what abilities the UFC veterans have.


Once you've picked a fighter, it's worth experimenting and seeing what they're good at. You want to be able to identify the ways in which you can hurt your opponent but also where you might be weak. Don't just try and bang with every fighter you get the in octagon with. If you'd rather grapple, don't sit there and slug it out while using a fighter that excels at wrestling. Also, try and take stock of what techniques your fighter can throw. If your characters of choice have deadly leg kicks, work those into your offense. Not only will you damage and slow the opposition, but you'll be able to mix up your combos and confuse them.

If there is one thing you don't want to be, it's predictable. Develop some strike patterns that have a bit of variety and that aren't too ambitious. Stick to 1-2s or three-shot combos and then get out and recover. The challenge mode is good at teaching you some of the basics here, so think about giving that a whirl. A popular strategy for folks online is to damage the body, and you might want to consider it too. It might be good to still land some shots to the dome, but maybe some knees and body kicks will work for you, and you can damage your foe that way. In fact, with the way the damage system works, it's worth going for the body quite a bit, actually.


Devising ways to avoid or mitigate damage is absolutely crucial to keeping your fighter out of trouble, especially early in the fight when your opponent will be full of energy and aggression. Get good at keeping your hands up with the right trigger (R2) so that you always mitigate some of the incoming damage, whether high or low. You also want to work on your parrying (more on this below), as that can help you against foes who spam certain strikes over and over. Remember that anytime you want to defend, it will require hitting the right trigger. This applies to any situation (standing, clinch, ground). If someone is attacking you or trying to advance position, you'll want to get good at using that trigger.

One of the big keys for this game is defending the takedown, and this is accomplished by holding the right trigger and flicking down on the right stick. The ratings of the offensive and defensive characters will dictate some of this (as well as the stamina of both characters), but working on your timing so that this defense becomes muscle memory is a hugely important aspect of the game. You want to almost instinctively trigger this input right after you throw a few strikes. Then again, you also want to watch for times when your opponent is desperate, as he'll likely try and save himself by taking it to the ground. Be ready to defend.


It's also worth working on your left-stick flicking for step dodges, as these will get you out of the train tracks when attacks are on the way. There are some good tutorials and challenges for this, and you'll want to get familiar with stepping away when things are getting crazy. There's no need to be in the pocket all the time.


The two most important commodities for fighting in this game are patience and stamina. The good news is that one leads to the other. If you take your time and don't flail away, you'll have plenty of stamina to do what you need to do in order to win (or at least be competitive). It's unfortunate that EA Sports UFC doesn't feature a true "simulation" mode, as it would be nice to see some of the move-spamming reduced, but there are still times where you'll gas yourself out if you're not careful. Definitely keep stamina in mind as a heavyweight, since the big boys will get tired after a few strikes.

The other thing to remember is that low stamina will cause weaker strikes and will also leave you more vulnerable to heavy shots. Don't let your stamina go below 30 percent. Keep an eye on what strikes do to your stamina bar and plan your offense accordingly. On the ground, you'll expend stamina when trying to block, transition or attack, so you have to be diligent with what you attempt to do. Sometimes it's best to let go of all buttons and sticks and get some stamina back while eating a couple of shots, as that stamina will be key to you escaping a dangerous spot or advancing to a better one.


If you have any experience with the Fight Night parry system, you'll have a head start for EA Sports UFC, as there are a lot of similarities. If you hold the right trigger and hit either a punch or kick button (high or low), you'll attempt to parry strikes that correspond to that strike height. Timing is key here, and a missed parry does leave you open to more damage. Sometimes it's best to just block normally and weather the storm.

If you do start timing some parries (when an opponent is going to the body a lot, for instance), you'll have a great counter window to do some huge damage. Consider targeting an area that's already weak (red on the body map at the top of the screen), and don't forget to use the bumpers to modify your strike for a bigger shot. Be wary, though, as parries can be countered by other parries, leaving you open for a world of hurt.


There are some acceptable moments to take a bit of risk, but you have to identify when those are. It's never good to sit there spamming away unless you feel totally in control of your stamina level and the flow of the match, so don't put yourself in a position that will jeopardize the win. Some players even wait in the weeds, so to speak, and want you to gas yourself out so that they can then lay a beating on you. It's really easy to get caught in moments where you think you're putting the hurt to somebody only to have them turn it all around. Controlling them with footwork around the octagon can be just as effective as actual strike pressure.


However well you prepare, you will face danger in the octagon. Some of the tougher AI characters or wily online players will bring you into the deep waters, and they may crack you with counter shots that you never saw coming. The best you can do is recognize when and where these situations might develop and neutralize them before they occur (or as they're about to happen). Leaving yourself low on stamina is one of these bad spots, and you'll be open to all sorts of "health events" that stun and stagger your fighter. Getting predictable with your strikes will also leave you open to parry opportunities, and these also can lead to similar KO moments or stun sequences.

You'll want to be careful when throwing too many kicks (especially high ones), as you can be tripped to the ground quite easily by a well-placed low kick. You won't be stunned or anything, but ending up on your back isn't what you want, especially if the ground game is still something you're working on. Another dangerous spot to avoid for new players is against the cage, so don't keep backing up unless you want to eat some knees to the face. The cage clinch is tough to escape, and if you do find yourself there, be patient and hit the right trigger to block. Once you've successfully blocked a strike, initiate a right-stick transition to begin your escape sequence. Avoid those knees to the head at all costs.


It's hard to go into insane detail of for the ground game without causing everybody's eyes to glaze over, but it's a vitally important aspect of the game. If you do happen to get taken down, the first thing you want to realize is how much time is left on the round clock and how dangerous your opponent is on the ground. If there are only a few seconds left (or even under a minute), try and block some of the incoming strikes and transition out to your "full guard" so that he can't damage you much. Also try and press L3 at the right time so that you can just stand up. You're really just trying to survive in these short-time scenarios.

If there is more time than that and your opponent is a danger to submit you or beat you up, you'll need to go into survival mode while you try and figure out what to do. The most dangerous positions on the ground are "full mount," where your opponent is sitting on your chest and raining down punches, and side control, where his legs are off to the side and he's pressing down on your shoulders and head.


Ultimately, you want to use the right trigger and a right-stick flick to the direction that he might advance. If he needs to move right to get into full mount, flick to the right. If he wants to move left for side control, flick to the left when you see him initiate that transition. A lot of the other positions (full guard, half guard, north-south) have less potential for big damage, so you have a bit of a window to think when they are in those positions.

For submissions, you'll want to work on the minigame in training to really understand what to do. Focusing on defense first is probably the way to go. When defending, you just want to fill the meter of one of the four directions before your opponent advances his position. I would suggest holding a direction before the minigame starts, as you'll get about 25-45 percent of a direction for free before an opponent knows what's up. From here, try and get unpredictable and fill other directions. Come back to your original direction at some point to finish that one off and escape. If he's blocking you one way, try and go another route.

Above all, be patient on the ground and don't spam transitions. Try and block intelligently and manage the clock. Work to a slightly better position, and work on your advanced transitions (left trigger+left bumper+right stick) to try and reverse your opponent completely.


This one seems to go against the old adage of "never leave it up to the judges," but in EA Sports UFC, you'll be going to the judges a lot (way more so than in the THQ games). Even though some of your fights may end up as KOs, TKOs or submissions, you want to sew the seeds for victory if the judges happen to be involved. I've found that the game actually simulates real judging fairly well, and you can "steal" rounds by fighting a certain way. It's not good to get too predictable this way, but you'll want to think about scoring takedowns and slams on your opponents, as these can sway a round where you've been getting punched in the face.

Similarly, knocking someone down is worth a lot. That can counter the value of some significant strikes that your opponent has been landing. Above all, you want to try and get knockdowns, takedowns, a decent number of strikes landed and then spend some time on top of your opponent on the ground. If one strategy isn't working, try and go another route to secure the round victory. Fighting smart will save you some trouble when the score cards are read out.

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