The Life & Death of 'EA Sports MMA' (RETROSPECTIVE)

The year is 2010, the sport of mixed martial arts is absolutely BOOMING. The UFC's strides in the pay per view market are matched only by their newest endeavor: a brand new series of video games. UFC Undisputed 2009 sold more than 2,000,000 units in its first year on the market, a success that sent shockwaves through the world of video games. EA Sports, the elite in terms of sports simulation video games, decided to enter the cage as well.
But even with a stacked roster, very positive review scores, two of the biggest names in the history of the sport featured right on the game's cover art, unique game modes and more... EA Sports MMA was a colossal failure in the end. How? This isn't some tiny game developer we're talking about here, this is EA Sports! These aren't generic jabronis on the roster, these are famous, Hall Of Fame fighters! Let's answer all these questions and more, DanDans. This is 'The Life & Death of EA Sports MMA.' Enjoy it!
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[@616Entertainment]

UPDATE! I sat down for over 2 hours with three of the head honchos behind bringing EA Sports MMA to life. Please enjoy their unrivaled passion & previously untold stories. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqLEg4ekh8aoqLc

[@TheTwsa]

I never seen such competent evaluation of this and other games for PS3, I am still only on PS3. My prof. work is in relation to physical movents, and many of the later games have poor actual relation to how bodys gravity etc. is handled; It looks a bit like real, but in reality they seem to have focused on the details and lost the overall picture. Big problem! Espc. Supremacy MMA caught my attention, as the thai fighter, Malipet, I think the real persons name is, is actually in the game illustrated handling gravity and moves much more as in real like and what all real fighters today lack, in MMA fights i Las Vegas, is ability to handle their gravity as thais. Just see, Buakaw, Superlek, Anuwat etc. all great fighters with a whole other level of ability to handle human body, BUT.... Supremacy MMA is the only game that have the real moves of a real life thai fighter, so this game is the only way to ... try to feel like a real life thaifighter; Everybody goes to Thailand, trains 2 a day for years and learn no ability to handle gravity like thais. So where do I go with this, well... there may be a lot of money in this for you getting exposure on this old game. I do not really know how to play it, just tried a bit, as I do not really have the time, but I now, whenever I think of playing, get happy and look forward to when getting time to play. This gives dopamine without even having to outplay or even have to spend time on the game and lets me process with my real passion and work, so a kind thought to my Supremacy MMA and PS3 now and then makes me very happy. I like if you can do a review on Supremacy MMA, cause I have trouble finding out the moves as I need to read the manual and learn the moves, which takes time... and really , time is really my limiting factor. I got money to pay you to make a review even or submit to your patreon or the like. Again, thanks for this great stuff you create; A big fan! Really hope you will do or try to play Supremacy MMA to feel the moves of a thaifighter and assimilate the way he moves as this is the only thai in a game move like thais really move, and watch any muay thai from Thailand, thai-thai fight, and you will see what I mean.

[@616Entertainment]

@@vincentplumhead942 Sure thing, my love.

[@TheAkafighter408]

I helped promote this game with Luke rockhold. I was fighting for strikeforce at the time and they asked if I would want to go to Japan to train for a fight and help promote the game. I went and trained there in Japan for two weeks then went to LA to the launch party. Then in December I traveled to st Luis and won my fight. It was called the EA MMA fighter exchange

[@616Entertainment]

@@TheAkafighter408 Do you have a profile on Sherdog? I'd like to see your fight history!

[@Kofkfed]

I created the Sam Stevens Character and I would argue your pick for best ea MMA fighter. I was up there with the best of them and it's debatable

[@jakebrandon7632]

I remember buying this game for $20 at Wal-Mart and had so much fun with the career and online modes.

[@616Entertainment]

Dude yes! Man, I'm happy to see so many EA MMA fans in these comments.

[@sluggak1363]

@@616Entertainment im one of them used to use my heavyweight boxer and fight fedor repeatedly i would counter his over hand right either a hook or uppercut would always throw it early normally a sub minute one punch flash ko

[@ajvalencia5867]

I loved ea mma I had over 2,000 fights online

[@ericlambert261]

Great game got mine for 20$ also MMA games as a whole are amazing this one had the ability to have every age play with the control change option

[@NotVance]

EA Sports MMA was massively underrated. I know that the later UFC games took on some of the stuff this game got right the first time but just didn't feel the same. The Linkin Park intro to the game still hypes me like no other. Thanks for the brilliant video retrospective!!

[@616Entertainment]

I'm with you, man. Thanks for watching.

[@redjed100]

As a former wrestling fan whose big passion was 2017-2018 NXT, Mauro Ranallo’s commentary is so great to hear.

[@616Entertainment]

That was the intro to him for many WWE fans, yep.

[@laingbang]

Thanks for this. Myself and the team put a lot of literal blood, sweat and tears on this game. I consider it one of the best productions of my career. I would have, without hesitation, worked on this game forever if I could have. A few trivia tidbits if you are interested. 1. The buttons - We loved our controls and didn't want to have buttons at all - ultimately it was an accessibility issue that didn't get fully tested - games are hard. 2. Respectfully disagree on career mode - MMA is about matchups and game plans - if you are going up against a grappler you need to be trained and ready for the take down, or get better at your hold-up jab. Decisions, decisions... Also, I'm surprised at a report of 5x against the same opponent - I recall "no fights past a trilogy" as part of the career mode matchmaker... 3. Online only trophies - This was the early days of "people who play multiplayer games play more so make players play multiplayer modes" philosophy. Largely we didn't believe that but this was the early days understanding player motivation. Every new game, especially those trying new things, have experimentation in them. FWIW, I learned my lesson. 4. Double XP, 10xXP and live event's - We loved that game and it manifested as love with the community - I was at and spoke/appeared/chatted at every live event. (Late nights for team on East coast doing a show on West coast time) 5. Low sales - this game came out in 2010 at the end of the financial crisis that started in 2008, discretionary spending was still at an all time low. When working with demand planning we were in uncharted waters. Don't discount timing as an element of success folks! 6. Internal team mission - Combat sports is important to me. The UFC was the big dog - We didn't want to crush them, we wanted to make a game so good they couldn't deny they wanted to be part of it - Mission Accomplished! 7. Both myself and the creative director, Jason Banes had one kid when we kicked off that project and one when it shipped - it was the longest game cycle I had ever worked on. 8. The team and especially the animators wanted to learn more about MMA so I held clinics and demos on mindset and a few techniques. After a few weeks of that some folks from the team (with no prior martial arts experience) said they wanted to train BJJ - and a few weeks later they asked to train for a Submission Only, no time limit grappling tournament, in 3 months. I worked with and trained them and each fighter landed in the tournament. Gold, Silver, Bronze. That's a good animation team to have working on your game about fighting! 9. My youtube profile pic, unchanged since 2009, is a photo of me in a mocap suit when I volunteered for a few additional grappling animations with one of our designers. Most of it was done by professionals of course. Again, Thanks - I am still in contact with people from this team and we still talk about the "lightning in a jar" of making that game. I honestly choked up watching this.

[@616Entertainment]

This is fantastic insight, dude, thank you so much for watching. I realize you dropped a ton of information right here, but if you’d be interested in doing an interview on Skype or Discord or something, that could be really cool. As you can tell from the video, I have a love for this game, and I think we might be able to continue to shine a light on it with a conversation. Let me know!

[@timschwallie2124]

Easily my favorite project to work on. Loved Friday Night fights and performing on the live broadcasts. Thanks for making this video, glad that this game gave some good memories to people.

[@616Entertainment]

Wow, I’m so happy members of the team are getting to see this. If you flip through these comments, I hope the amount of positivity in them continues to make you proud. You guys made a great game here, and it’s about time it got some love.

[@laingbang]

@@616Entertainment I will always say yes to talking about this game. LMK

[@616Entertainment]

@@laingbang Email me! [e-mail]. Or give me a way to contact you and we’ll get it together soon!

[@jamestobin9181]

Dont ever be discouraged man. Not all the content on the channel is for me but the stuff i do dig is top class. Dont listen to the haters. The Resident Evil videos are amazing. I also like the personal stories you tell about how you experienced games when you were younger. Its a nice touch. Wishing you and those close to you a happy new year.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man! I don't get discouraged, don't worry. It's a bummer sometimes when something I worked for weeks on draws fewer viewers than a let's play that took me 2 hours to do, lol, but it is what it is. That's the game, right? Thanks for being here.

[@rooneye]

Resident Evil videos are amazing? WHAT Resident Evil videos? Link?

[@616Entertainment]

@@rooneye The History of Resident Evil has been out since 2020. They're on the channel in individual parts or the 4 hour, full movie version, if you prefer.

[@llll-un6mk]

Take these likes G

[@RDNGAMING22]

i agree i love allur stuff sub and likes for me

[@F1rsttimer]

This really pulled on my heart strings. I can't believe nearly an hour passed while watching this. I remember playing this game in the cold during the 2010 freeze and blasting through the career mode and reading all the blogs the in game journalist would post. I was THAT deep into this game and you unlocked so many memories for me. You've done it again, DanDan! I love to see it.

[@616Entertainment]

Dude I was right there with you, 100%. Thank you for watching!

[@gameshock2916]

@@616Entertainment The gameplay in EA Sports MMA used a modified engine of EA Sports Fight Night Round 4. You can switch to button controls and I bet no one knew that. Kicks with A & B as well as punches with X & y, takedowns with lunging the right stick forward, sprawling with the right stick back, fakies with the left bumper, strong modifiers with the right number, switches to head and body with the right trigger, and every grapple initiated with a flick of the right stick up or down. Also, your reasoning behind the button controls being crap or shouldn't be there as an option is valid to a degree. It does break online and it shows, but they simply could have done this. Break online into two categories depending on your control scheme. For people with the default stick control scheme, put into one online category and put the button control scheme in another online category for matchmaking. That way they could have pleased everyone.

[@616Entertainment]

@@gameshock2916 I'm pretty sure most Fight Night players are aware you can switch to face buttons, my dude.

[@gameshock2916]

@@616Entertainment That's true, but EA should have broken online into two categories depending on your control scheme. For people with the default stick control scheme, put into one online category and put the button control scheme in another online category for matchmaking. That way they could have pleased everyone. Also, no one bought this game due to UFC Undisputed 2010 and UFC Undisputed 3. They said it didn't have UFC's star power and that's not what should have killed this game. Hell, EA Sports MMA should have been the prince of MMA games, igniting the UFC Undisputed series vs EA Sports MMA and the two possible Strikeforce games if this game sold well enough, EA StrikeForce 1 & 2. I wanted a rivalry of EA vs. THQ in MMA games. Instead, it was basically a pissing contest to where THQ has 3 platinum hits in UFC and EA pissed out the beer sweats of a Strikeforce game that only the underground people enjoy playing. I have that Platinum trophy on an old account. It's on the Xbox 360. The Black Belt Master achievement is my rarest Xbox 360 achievement, even rarer than Dead Rising's 7-day survivor achievement. Got it on the final day of active service in this game. I was 11 at the time and I just needed this achievement. My two friends and I spent a month's worth of time going from white belt to Black Belt Master and it was hell.

[@l0rdpj]

Considering the player base, we couldn't "split" the lobbies. FWIW, we had to turn off most matchmaking exclusions pretty early on (for example, remove the timer that says "look for opponents ranked close first") just so people could actually match up.

[@FearArrowBuster]

I played this game for a bit. My brother found a disc of this game when he was working for a rent to own company. It was inside a desk without a case. I was able to get a case from the video rental company I was working at. The thing you said about staying up all night to play online games to get a trophy to get to the platinum, I get it. I did it with some games. Great memories.

[@BlackLabelMark]

I just wanted to say how much your channel has kept my spirits up lately… I was just diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure and things have been pretty tough lately. Watching your videos has helped take my mind off of everything. Keep up the amazing work, Ian.

[@616Entertainment]

Really sorry to hear that, my dude. I'll continue to do everything I can to add the slightest bit of levity to your days.

[@BlackLabelMark]

@@616Entertainment Thanks Ian. I really appreciate what you do, and I know I’m not the only one. I really loved the Spider-Man video you did. I would really enjoy seeing more of that! Be well!

[@McDavynLane]

I played this game at my aunt boyfriends house in 2012 at that time I was like 7 and didn't know who The legend Fedor was and I played as him and thought why am I knocking everyone out in 15 seconds so I spent the last 10 years researching everything I could about the last emperor so even though I haven't played this game since that night it will always hold a special place in my heart for opening me up to my love for this sport and its greatest legends thank you for this extremely well detailed video it was a blast to watch you've certainly earned a subscriber

[@616Entertainment]

What a great story, I love this.

[@XaeroGravity]

I absolutely loved the game. My friends and I, some of whom weren't even fans of MMA, spent hours in the Online Fight Card mode. I'd meet random players and shoot the shit regarding the sport. Only other MMA game that surpassed this one was Undisputed 3. Having a Pride mode that switched everything from the rules set, to the commentators, and even menu music was such an awesome thing, and I feel the game handled it even better than EA MMA did.

[@616Entertainment]

I love this.

[@alec2000]

I am very excited to see this! Ever since your retrospective of Fight Night, I’ve been more curious for MMA/UFC content on your channel and it is fantastic! Can’t wait for the premiere!

[@kaazer]

I didn’t even know there was a fight night retrospective, thank you

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for always being here, brudda.

[@616Entertainment]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZXbg6OZodWLb8U It's not so much a retrospective of the series as much as it is a chronicle of where it went over the last ten years. Enjoy!

[@616Entertainment]

My newest retrospective is now live. Check out 'The Life & Death of Dead Island' right here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5SpnaVteqeCrck

[@trevormarshall8553]

I still come back and play this occasionally. I still enjoy it no matter what people say I remember getting this game for a Christmas present in 2010 for 360, I bought it again for PS3 in 2013, and although servers were shut down, I still bought this game for the love of it.

[@Doongie4ever]

I wasn't the biggest fan of MMA I watched a few fights and was a fan of Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture and Georges St-Pierre but I enjoyed your video as always. Mage congrats on being one of the few to have that plat.

[@616Entertainment]

All 3 of those guys are largely grapplers, you might enjoy a more striking based fighter!

[@RFNOFFICIAL]

Among all my friend who were all into MMA like crazy from 2008-2014ish I was the only one to get this game, they only ever wanted to play UFC, I loved everything here more but it just did not pull enough people :( Thanks for another great retrospective.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching, man.

[@despitewisdom]

Thank You Ian for covering this title. It was one of my best friends all time favorite PS3 games. He would've loved your coverage of it but sadly he passed away a few months ago.

[@616Entertainment]

Really sorry to hear that. Here's a salute to a legend, man.

[@despitewisdom]

@@616Entertainment Thank You

[@Shaftdaddy]

Great vid !!! This game was a gem with a GREAT online community/ atmosphere in the Live Broadcasts feature! EA needs to make a sequel. It deserved WAY better!

[@Bear-pw7nu]

Your videos OOOOZ with passion man. It’s like chopping it up with an old pal talking about the video games of my childhood. Thank you for the great content.

[@616Entertainment]

This is a great compliment, thank you. It helps that I only work on topics that I truly care about, rather than chase trends. =)

[@KamikazeXero]

You did some great work on this video! I was one of the few that bought this game at launch, and to me it was well worth it. The analog strikes took some getting used to, but I got pretty good with them to the point that I could probably pick it up today and still be able to manage to beat the CPU with relative ease. I played one online match and won, then quit afterwards. I remember the fight, the other player just kept spamming strikes as I blocked, and once he was out of stamina, I just hit him with a huge punch and knocked him out. I'm undefeated at 1-0, and they can never take it away from me!

[@616Entertainment]

1-0! In and out! Hahahaha

[@jamesmilsom91]

I remember playing this all night long until 5 in the morning with my friend on release. He had no idea the likes of Lashley or Shamrock were in an MMA game. So many great memories, thank you for another amazing retrospective 🤙🤘

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks James! Love those memories

[@bulletchains8205]

my jaw was literally on the floor when you mentioned those sales numbers like i was Ben Askren 10 seconds into Round 1 with Jorge Masvidal. this game was AMAZING and i played it on my 360 almost as much as i played UFC 2010, up till Undisputed 3 dropped, this was in MY HUMBLE OPINION? THE VERY BEST MMA GAME A FAN CAN BUY. still Shocked that i've never seen a Mainstream coverage of this game in the same in-depth style you use for Triangle X Squared O but, makes sense, 45K and only about 4 of them might be big time youtubers besides Martial Mind. Goated Video!!

[@616Entertainment]

Hahahaha. Yea man, it's really shocking how poorly this game performed. And you're right, this basically is an episode of TXSO in it's style, it's just not a wrestling game! This 'Life & Death' series will continue on like this, deep diving retros, my favorite thing to do. Thanks for watching.

[@cutsman22]

I have the platinum for this game too. This game introduced my love for fighting games and fighting game communities. I actually fought on the last live broadcast hosted on PlayStation. Frank trigg commentated the fights lol man I forgot all about this game. Thank you for making this!

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching, and congrats on being in the super exclusive club!

[@dylan20013]

I only picked the game up a couple of years back it's still a amazing game today an better then any of the ea sports ufc games

[@616Entertainment]

Looking for more combat sports game coverage? Check out 'EA Sports FIGHT NIGHT: Resurrect The Legend.' kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZXbg6OZodWLb8U

[@MrHuntman244]

Yo dude i Noticed the 616 are you from the 616 area code???

[@616Entertainment]

@@2pacgranddaddy441 HAHAHA

[@616Entertainment]

@@MrHuntman244 I am not, no sir.

[@RDNGAMING22]

im subbing i love this

[@Playboigerm]

Me and my best friend who dosent even care about MMA boot up my dusty ass ps3 and binge this game for hours whenever she comes over I think that just proves how good this game is

[@616Entertainment]

Oh that's the best. I love this.

[@serialmiller1987]

I'm glad you gave EA Sports MMA a deep dive. I still go back and play this game with a created fighter and having Bas Rutten as your coach is unreal! I did have a hard time with the striking mechanics, but I loved and still love the submission mechanics the most of any MMA game I've ever played to this day. Got my first win via submission (armbar) with Shinya Aoki and it was BEYOND satisfying! I do wish I played online though and no Ian, I was not a body spammer! I treated EA Sports MMA's striking mechanics like the skill stick for NHL. I think I"m going to fire up my 360 after work and get it some fights tonight!

[@616Entertainment]

Hahahaha, no body spammers here! And what a great way to start, with Aoki.

[@alec2000]

This is hands down one of your all time greatest videos ever made! The amount of stuff I learned with this video and all of your personal stories, is truly a reminder of why I love you and your content so much. You are so relatable to many of us as gamers and that is why we love and respect you so much. Thank you for this one, Ian, and I can’t wait for that Dead Island video, hell yeah!

[@616Entertainment]

Highly, highly appreciate the kind words here, brudda. Thank you.

[@TheTwsa]

I have only seen some of the later fightgames for PS4 and other consoles, but to me, these fighters even seem moving better according to reality and best of all is Malipet in Supremacy MMA; Noting good or bad about the game, only this fighters move is interesting for me, as I mainly know muay thai, but Bruce Lee in PS4 UFC4 is terrible, not just not really realistic, but directly terrible according to real life anatomy, dont care about look a bit alike etc.

[@TheTwsa]

I just edited my comment, sorry.

[@H-MAN-yn3ok]

This video was practically 40mins but i wish it went on for hours. I love the passion you described this game with. My older brother a few years back handed me down one of his ps3s and a few games which included ea mma and i loved it and was so disappointed to learn that there was never a second one. This game and UFC undisputed 3 will always have a special place on my shelf, great video bro, i loved learning about all the stuff that went on surrounding this game, wish i could've experienced what you did with my friends, that sounds amazing. Great job bro

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man, I really appreciate it! I have many retrospectives like this on the channel, give them a shot, you'll love 'em!

[@H-MAN-yn3ok]

@@616Entertainment yessir will do, didn't even realise you make wrestling content, definitely gonna give some of your stuff a watch in my free time. 🙏

[@rustyshackleford5516]

I'm glad I still have my copy of this. I haven't played as Fedor in way to long!

[@616Entertainment]

Enjoy!

[@jamesregina804]

Couldn’t be more excited for this video. So glad you’re finally touching on MMA video games.

[@616Entertainment]

Hope you liked it!

[@jamesregina804]

@@616Entertainment loved it. Can’t wait for more content.

[@escribe154]

Man you are great at making retrospectives, I barley know about most of these games and you make me want to get up and go get some of these games. One Love

[@616Entertainment]

These are my favorite thing to make, man. The weekly shows are fun, but this is where I get to be creative.

[@kristopherbrown2145]

Thank you for another brilliant retrospective, I'm ordering this game off of watching your retrospective alone.

[@616Entertainment]

Oh man, you're going to love it! And it's cheap!

[@skyfighter311]

Oh my friend you haf Good time with this one Trust me

[@morfiend2170]

This video really does highlights the problems of competition dying off in the game industry. And the sad truth is it probably won't ever improve.

[@616Entertainment]

RIP competition.

[@CaptainMcKayRandom]

This one was so good, man. We all have those games that seem like absolute classics to us, but the world at large lets them go unnoticed. The controls on this one seemed difficult, and yet there sounded like there’s a precision to them similar to a fighting game. Allowing a simple style is definitely something they should have left out of multiplayer, though. If you’re gonna compete with someone, the kid gloves GOTTA come off. I really loved this one. I hope the guy who provided the 10x XP and let you earn that platinum trophy eventually does see this.

[@616Entertainment]

I hope he sees it too, man. And I appreciate the text on the side about Mountain Man popping for the body spammer heat, hahahhaha

[@CreativeWM_Personal]

Or at least divide players by their choice of playstyle and they won't cause problems for everyone else

[@CaptainMcKayRandom]

@@CreativeWM_Personal for sure. That’d be a good option too

[@l0rdpj]

@@CreativeWM_Personal Lobby matchmaking was already sparse. We couldn't exactly split the audience further.

[@l0rdpj]

Seen... ;) (EA_Preston here)

[@tacomandon]

Literally one of my favorite games of all time.

[@angelagwen1818]

I absolutely loved this. Every time you branch out and do a passion project you knock it out of the park. I never played this game and won’t ever care about MMA, but you had me pulled right in. It’s always a pleasure listening to you pitch something you love

[@616Entertainment]

Thank you, Angela. I appreciate that.

[@cjmarren86]

What a goddamn video. Not many KZbinrs can make a solid enjoyable 40 minute video. This one was a Round 1 KO, Ian. Well done.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks! I've got videos over 4 hours long too if you're really tryna get crazy.

[@nicksrandomreviews]

Such an underrated game in almost all aspects. Having Bas Rutten guide you through career was honestly my favourite thing. Dude felt so sincere. Shame what happened to this game. So many wrote it off because it wasn't UFC.

[@616Entertainment]

Yes and yes.

[@wisey105]

So, originally it was supposed to be a different fighter. But, Bas had such charisma and sounded natural on the microphone that they added more content for him. I remember hearing from the producer that worked on the career mode and tutorial audio about how great it was working with him.

[@l0rdpj]

@@wisey105 This is 100% true. RC was actually originally recorded, but once Bas was in studio we knew we had to get him to do the career.

[@yuvrajbhattal8213]

People had ufc undisputed 2010 and 3 around that time, those were far superior.

[@616Entertainment]

@@yuvrajbhattal8213 This is what we call and opinion, my dude. And you're certainly entitled to yours.

[@JWUniverse]

Awesome Retrospective bro. Love this Game such a Great Fighting game. BTW 37:26 I hear the WWE Smackdown Know Your Role main screen Music in your background 😂 Nice touch!

[@616Entertainment]

Good ear! And thank you!

[@locoluck777]

I gladly sacrificed my morning sleep for this FANTASTIC Retrospective.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching, Allen.

[@kinganimal9631]

Never been a big UFC guy but I loved this video. Thanks man glad I gave it a shot.

[@616Entertainment]

Me too! I assure you, even if it's not your favorite topic, the quality will always be there.

[@briangriffith4574]

I was just like you when UFC undisputed 2009 came out. I was at Walmart when it opened and they had not even put the game on the shelf yet. I mastered everything and was one of the top players on Xbox live. I would even hang out the Xbox live forums looking for top challengers. My record was like 540-130. I used lyoto machida mostly and tapped everyone with the triangle. It still holds up as a great game. Better than the newer ones IMO.

[@616Entertainment]

Dude once you found your guy in '09, you were gold. I was a Forrest Griffin guy, and anyone who took me down would get swept into mount from the rubber guard. So nasty.

[@kylehoschar5309]

my record was 1100+ - 99 using mostly Forrest Griffin...I stopped before getting 100 losses and a lot of those losses were people pulling the plug in the early days

[@briangriffith4574]

@@kylehoschar5309 almost all my losses were early on before I understood the ground game. Forrest griffin was one of the better choices as he had that one unique leg grab that no one else had. I still think the 2009 version was the best.

[@nickgeorgiou123]

Possibly the greatest online experience I've ever had with actual live commentary!

[@616Entertainment]

Dude, it was unreal.

[@BudokanPuroresu]

This game was my jam! It was a truly beautiful moment, and I even got to be part of League-A-Polooza Live Events. I got to be a true Submission pro for a moment and I never felt so nervous and excited at the same time! I will forever remember EFC, OMMA, and UOC fondly

[@616Entertainment]

Dude that is awesome!

[@ajvalencia5867]

Omg I fought in the middle easy heavyweight grand prix!!!!

[@FunkyMiller]

Another amaze balls production by an amazing creator. I love seeing these sub numbers just grow and grow, and these retrospectives of different genres bringing in new viewers to the fold

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks brudda, I always appreciate your name popping up. =)

[@cheyennenelson3484]

I remember playing a demo of this somewhere, and I got my ass handed to me. Lol I wasn't into MMA like that growing up, however, your story about you and Bathroom Money Tim reminds me of my best friend Will. We did the same thing you did almost, just with Call Of Duty and on separate systems. We would be somewhat next to one another, on different tv's, drinking sugary drinks, and eating taco bell while gaming. It's the one part of my life I miss the most since he's been gone. Miss you Will.

[@616Entertainment]

Shout out to Will, by all accounts, a legend.

[@derrickrobinson7269]

I loved this game. It was the 1st game I broke into a top 10 leaderboard online (Laybackkid) on PSN and made many online friends that I use to play everyday in parties with. I was devastated when a sequel didn't drop

[@616Entertainment]

Hell yea!

[@rubendiaz9444]

This was great! I dig the single long episode retrospectives like this and Fight Night. Keep up the great work!

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man. The Fight Night video was really fun, I'm hoping this one performs a little better than that one did, though. This 'Life & Death' series will continue probably through May. I already have the first 3 lined up, so it's all systems go!

[@316whatupz]

Amazing work, Ian. Loved this retrospective episode. 🙂😎👍

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks dude! New retrospective in February. 2022 is going to be fun.

[@mattdunfee3527]

I got this game for 7 bucks at a GameStop when I was 12 ish and I absolutely loved this game. The creation options blew my damn mind. The gameplay was fun. The roster I adored (as a wrestling fan, not knowing much about MMA). I need to rebuy this game so damn bad

[@616Entertainment]

Do it! Luckily, it's still worthless, lol. Can get a cop for under $10 easy.

[@seXXXpac]

Awesome!! So glad you finally got around to doing this video. I loved EA MMA.. AND the stick striking. Anyone familiar with the Fight Night series should have had no problem figuring it out. Great job on the video, dude. Thank you for all the content.

[@616Entertainment]

It wan't the same as Fight Night, though. Similar, but not the same. It's a little bit more complicated. Thanks for watching!

[@TheTwsa]

Great, love the video, very unique!!! Love to see Supremacy MMA getting evaluated by your competent evaluation too, thanks.

[@kingflores8915]

I’m a big MMA fan, I remember my step dad would tell me about fedor, and all the dudes on strike force and pride, I was just getting to know ufc lol, but when this game came out I was hype because I was finally going to be able to kinda experience all these other great fighters, one of my favorite games just because it played so different than what I was used to with a ufc game.

[@616Entertainment]

What a great time to be aware of the sport, right?

[@kingflores8915]

@@616Entertainment exactly, glad to see you’re a man with good taste lol.

[@theantone7476]

This was great. I haven't played a lot of MMA games nor the biggest fan ( But I'm aware of some of the big names) but I enjoyed this and like to try new things from time to time. I've only played a bit of UFC 2 which I thought was great

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for giving the video a shot, man!

[@JM1993951]

If you liked 2, do yourself a favor and get Undisputed 3. It’s more user-friendly than the first two, but can still be challenging.

[@tumadre5000]

Huge Fedor fan and i was excited for this game. Yes, the strike gameplay was weak but it wasn't all horrible but yes i preferred UFC 2009 with overall gameplay. Roster for EA Mma was phenomenal

[@616Entertainment]

I didn't say it was weak or horrible! Hahaha

[@navvyJay]

Lack of CPU vs CPU kills it for me

[@Hanke86]

Think I'll give this one a try now. I wasn't fussed on the grapple system in the Undisputed games so couldn't get into them. The striking in EA MMA is based on the Fight Night games so won't be a problem for me as I loved the Fight Night games

[@616Entertainment]

I love Fight Night as well, big time.

[@KingGamezz87]

Dude I absolutely loved this game! The way it played and I actually enjoyed the career mode, was so good to me brotha lol Am not the biggest UFC guy but this game along with the pride series made me go more into the sport. I mean, i hate these dudes breaking bones while fighting and cringe with every strike so can't really watch the real fights but I used to play EA sports mma and have an absolute blast with it man. There's a bit of it still inside the EA UFC games till this day but to me its too different. Thanks for this video man, I needed it! This was awesome my dude! #ThanksForWhatYouDo #WearetheDanDans #MuchLove #easportsmma #nostalgic

[@616Entertainment]

The gnarly violence can be a bit much, I understand. Thanks for watching, man!

[@bootsthecat6718]

I remember buying a UFC game for the PlayStation. First match, my opponent put me in a wrist lock and made me submit. Second match, put my opponent in a wrist lock, they reversed it back into a wrist lock on me and made me submit. I turned off the game and never played it again

[@616Entertainment]

Hahahahahahahahahaha

[@stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii]

That match commentary is amazing! I had to keep checking if I was watching footage of the game or a real MMA fight.

[@616Entertainment]

Dude for real, it was so good.

[@DJCapito]

Dude, what an awesome retrospective! I’m so glad someone remembers and talks about this awesome game. Remember playing the crap out of this on PS3, with the great gameplay and stacked roster it really did rival the UFC games of the time, at least in my eyes.

[@616Entertainment]

100%, dude. Thanks for watching.

[@jamalvargas6146]

This Was My First PS3 Game a Decade ago and enjoyed it for what is was still don't agree with Blair Herter's XPlay review

[@616Entertainment]

Oh man, what, did he trash it? What a jabroni. Lol

[@CreativeWM_Personal]

Mine was the 1st Uncharted game back in 2008 followed shortly afterwards by Heavenly Sword, Ratchet TOD and DMC4

[@jacobshaffer7267]

Love this video. Great job man. First video of yours I’ve ever seen right here. I have this game but haven’t played it much I always was a extremely hardcore ufc undisputed player.

[@JM1993951]

Flash knockout wins were so satisfying in this game. And the decision system wasn’t out to get you, like I swear it is in almost every UFC game. In EA MMA you could win a hard-fought decision knowing you’re probably going to have your hand raised.

[@616Entertainment]

You're right about the decisions. In the UFC games, there's no science to it. It seems like you only have a 10% chance of getting the nod, no matter what.

[@Micky626E]

I heard Rafiel Torre was gonna be part of the DLC and he's moveset was going to include deadly killer blows . Amazing video as always Ian .

[@616Entertainment]

Hahahahahaha

[@NCATDJTNT]

Such a great video man. I remember playing this back in college, brings back so much memories of my youth. Thanks for this video, and keep up the good work man.

[@616Entertainment]

The best memories, right? Thanks for watching.

[@KidaMilo89]

I like that you're playing Smackdown Here Comes the Pains soundtrack in the background

[@matt_shaboy]

Thanks for all of the awesome content, Ian. I love these retrospectives.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching, dude.

[@OnFullBlast]

The intro to this game was 2nd to none!! I loved the finish the fight mechanics in this game it was addictive asf dropping someone to jump on them and hit them with a flurry..soooo satisfying!!

[@hankhell5663]

Dude this channel fucking rules so hard. Me and my buddies get together and watch it or share the videos all the time. That’s the special thing about this channel. We identify you as one of us. You’re like one of the fellas. That’s appreciated dude.

[@616Entertainment]

I appreciate that, dude. Thank you. The whole idea is to share my stories because I know there are a ton of us who experienced these same things, and it feels good to share these moments, even 10-20 years later, hahaha

[@Dougfunny37]

I noticed this is one of your higher viewed videos. I believe the reason is because you chose MMA as the topic. It’s a topic you should cover more often, I’ve noticed you do football coverage which is awesome. And you should continue especially if you love it. But if you incorporated more MMA content I can almost guarantee your view count will go up. It’s a MASSIVE community that doesn’t get the same coverage that other sports do. Food for thought

[@616Entertainment]

It’s not just because of the topic. I’ve done several MMA/boxing videos that haven’t done this well. It’s a mixture of it being a deep diving retrospective (which is always my best performing type of video) and the fact that the team member from EA Sports are sharing it around and commenting themselves. People don’t really realize just how helpful it is to a channel like mine to share the videos. I’ll get comments like “how do you not have 3 million subs?” All I can control is the quality of my work, I can’t force people to share and spread the word for me, ya know? There’s more of many topics on the way, and MMA will certainly be mixed in here and there.

[@angryretrogamer7313]

I'm a PS3 game collector and have never played any mma or UFC games nor watched the sport on tv. I recently acquired a copy of UFC undisputed 2009 for free and wanted to investigate before i started playing it. After watching several reviews of that game i came across this video. I really really enjoyed this video and appreciate the story of ea mma ty for the awesome video👍

[@Sword420]

Great video as always. Glad to say I still got EA Sports MMA in my stack of PS3 games.

[@616Entertainment]

Yes!

[@derbimmelbahnfahrer]

Man I LOVE your Retrospectives... I didn't even play some of the games but I just enjoy your detailed coverage and your heartfelt memories and stories. Keep up the great work!

[@616Entertainment]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I promise, even if it's not your favorite game, the quality will always be tops. Thanks for trusting me.

[@derbimmelbahnfahrer]

@@616Entertainment always brother! :)

[@TobiRevBlackFire]

I now gotta record an episode for this since this video made me wanna play it and i enjoyed it that much. Keep up the great work my dude c:

[@616Entertainment]

Hahaha, go for it!

[@keeplatts108]

This definitely brought me back to playing UFC and doing that junk food/sugar drink binges laughing with friends over who could knock the other one out first. Never played MMA but this was an interesting watch, cheers man.

[@616Entertainment]

Dude, great memories, right?

[@tomw8250]

Great video, man. This game was good and mma was booming at the time. Had a lot of fun with this game and your video brought back a lot of fun memories. Went and got my game out of storage.

[@616Entertainment]

Absolutely, dude. Enjoy your return to the cage!

[@MarioBikar]

Oh man, you just unlocked so many memories. I remember getting this game on my birthday i was like 13 or 14. It was my auntie who bought it for me, i liked the story mode and the controls for me it wasn’t hard the learn. EA Sports MMA will forever have a place in my heart.

[@616Entertainment]

Hell yea, dude.

[@e8tballz]

This is so cool to see. I bring this game up all the time as my MMA favorite. That cool era of elusive fighters, MMA blowing up, the control scheme, fighters from multiple organizations. The stars aligned. So good.

[@616Entertainment]

I'm with you. Thanks for watching.

[@brockst9190]

I really liked this game, great video brotha! N congratulations on being the 20th platinum dude. That's badass, much love man

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man!

[@Tubahater43]

I could watch you talk about anything, Ian! Keep doing you, my guy!

[@616Entertainment]

Plenty more to come, my dude. Thank you.

[@BrettJ2010]

I never got the chance to play EA MMA but man it looks fun. Side note, at the end hearing the Smackdown 2 background music always reminds me of when you did the smackdown retrospective and said how it creeps you out and it sounds like the person is saying "where bob" 🤣

[@616Entertainment]

WHERE BOB?!

[@calebcooter4931]

bro this was one of the best MMA games of all time if not the best MMA game of all time the striking controls weren't nearly as bad as you made it out to be at first and I'm glad you mentioned that I remember playing this game for hours even days I loved it so much EA Sports making the UFC games now brings back a little familiarity to that but I still this was better especially for the time it came out and OH MY GOD that roster was fucking fantastic

[@616Entertainment]

I didn't make the striking out to be bad at all, I simply showed what it takes to throw the punches. And there's definitely a learning curve to the system, there's no doubt about it!

[@userr_userr_1]

Dude I love your videos. That's all. My fav channel for sure

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man! Spread the word, let's get to 100K. =)

[@rashadnagi7531]

Amazing retrospective as always. Well done man!

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks Rashad!

[@LordRayden92]

I absolutely love your passion here. Thank you for making this video.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching, my dude.

[@xkyriako]

Ian, that was beyond exhilarating to watch... you went to every videogame AND mma nerve in my brain and gave them a Dagestan oriented mauling! Never change, pal.

[@616Entertainment]

Hahahaha, thanks man, I appreciate it.

[@Caltastrophy]

Another amazing video!!! Keeps quenching the thirst until June 2022!!!!

[@616Entertainment]

Plenty more to come, my dude.

[@Locknar77]

Great job Ian! The term "slept on" is often hyperbole, but it the case of this game, it really felt like the world slept on this game, and what a game they missed out on!

[@616Entertainment]

Agreed, man.

[@tehf00n]

I have a copy of this game and I was playing only a couple of weeks ago. I really liked UFC Undisputed but the dual analogue boxing element of this game was really immersive. These games have never got the ground game right though which is always sad. UFC 4 for example feels like you aren't looking at the action during a sub, there's no handfighting game as it just animated during a sub, and cage control is really weak so being on the ground near the cage doesn't feel like a worse situation.

[@twan4120]

What you began saying at 31:17 is exactly what I was thinking. I completely missed out on this but I’m definitely going to give it a try.

[@brandonirizarry6380]

Great video brother. I just happened to come across this , I remember anticipating this game at the time of its release in concept the game was so... deep the career mode was like nothing at the time and to be honest there hasn’t been one since. For me the controls was what pushed me away not that I feel that the fight Night control style should have been eliminated but there should have been a choice and I’m sure that it turned off many more people as well, I was a huge Pride FC game fan so coming into this type of control scheme with no other option was the turn off but as far as the game itself it was awesome. I never understood why a patch to the controls was never done I would love a remaster no actual MMA stars just a complete blank canvas that lets you run your own promotions and online comp.

[@616Entertainment]

I'd be for a generic re-release, sure.

[@GregStunaTV]

This game was awesome the community alone keep me engaged. How they set up fight card mode was amazing. Everyone got into a lobby and fought on a event. I wish EA UFC would bring this feature back.

[@jamiesicard9208]

I love this game and still play it pretty often on my Xbox 360.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks for watching!

[@Juicelee777ssj]

I definitely remember this game fondly. I hope that one day someone creates a career mode in one of these games where you're not fighting the same five or six people over and over until the game forces you to retire. There's so many good things that can be done with a career mode if a team really cared enough.

[@616Entertainment]

Fight Night Round 4 was that game, man

[@JihadMeAtHelllo]

Great video. I loved video games my whole young life then around 19yo life hit me like a ton of bricks and it became a hobby I dropped. Come my late thirties I now have time and money to invest in the hobby. I prefer PC gaming, but not everything I wanted to play is ported so have ended up picking up recently most of the consoles that came out after 2004. With PS3 I have nearly 200 games and I think I've only played 4 of them. Your video made me want to play EA MMA. It was on my shortlist anyway, being a huge fan of Fedor/Pride era MMA. I'm definitely jealous of the experiences many gamers had that I never will, obviously there's no servers period with PS3, but I'm typically a solo player anyway.

[@midsectionmark8956]

Thank you very much ! This was so informative! I only played ufc 2009 which I loved and my friend gave me mma because he no longer was using his ps3! I haven’t played the game yet but this has my eager to give it a try !

[@616Entertainment]

Give it a shot! It's practically worthless, you can get a copy shipped for under $10 I'd assume.

[@kamalfire4720]

Wow after watching this video You are one of my favorite people on KZbin I already Subscribed and liked Thank you for this amazing Video

[@danfortuna1984]

really like how you do some videos on games that weren't so popular. Just because a game didn't sell well doesn't mean a lot of us haven't played it. Even if we haven't played it it's still interesting to hear about some of the games. keep up the great work

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man. I'll always cover the things I care about here, you'll never catch me promoting some game I don't care about just for clicks. I appreciate you!

[@danfortuna1984]

@@616Entertainment and we appreciate you. Keep doing your thing 👍🏻

[@ghostface3655]

Great video man! Great content, and editing. Just subbed to ya, preciate the fun topic.

[@616Entertainment]

Thanks man! Much more to come.