EA signs Emelianenko for MMA game

By Robert Purchese Published 30 July, 2009

The Russian golden goose UFC can't snag.

EA Sports has finally announced star fighters for MMA, despite UFC boss Dana White threatening to ban any athlete signing for the game.

Russian behemoth Fedor Emelianenko will be the cover star. He is considered not only the best fighter around today, but also perhaps the greatest of all time. He's the World MMA heavyweight champ and the last holder of the Pride belt, which we're assuming has nothing to do with Gay Pride.

Joining Emelianenko are renowned Dutch kickboxer Gegard Mousasia and lightweight aggressive grappler Renato Sobral, who comes from Brazil.

EA will reveal more Mixed Martial Arts fighters as the PS3 and 360 game approaches its 2010 release.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DutchDemons #1 3 years ago

    Well, with Fedor on board...i might actually consider this game now.

    The man is a beast!

  • BabyJesus #2 3 years ago

    This ban thing is stupid, grow the fuck up UFC.

  • Dizzy #3 3 years ago

    Penny Arcade. Nuff said.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #4 3 years ago

    I can understand where UFC is comming from tho - EA didn't want to lience a UFC game under bs reasons and the moment THQ release the successful offical one, EA jump in and accounce MMA, basically trying to cash-in on UFC's success..

    It's all pritty irronic in the end cuz the same thing is happening to EA with Activison over Brutal Legend...

    Ah suits, you've gotta love them at times

    @Dizzy the 'other' one I think summs it up better - you know the 'contest' :)
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/09 @ 11:12

  • XdarXideX #5 3 years ago

    Fedor is probably the exception to the rule that will force Dana to drop the silly restriction. At least I hope so.

    Saying that though, I don't really share the love for Fedor as everyone else does. Sure he's absolutely amazing and I agree he's the best MMA has to offer at the moment, but there will be others just as good or better. Fedor won't last forever!

  • BabyJesus #6 3 years ago

    It's business, if something sells, why shouldn't you try to replicate and improve on it? Is it moral? Probably not.

    Welcome to capitalism.

    UFC is being childish with this banning shit and quite frankly they are being counter productive by giving EA sports MMA game attention and press that it otherwise wouldn't be getting.

    If I worked for THQ I'd tell them to shut the hell up and stop giving competitors free press.

  • lavalant #7 3 years ago

    I can see Danna's point, he's passionate about his sport, approached EA sports but they shot him down basically as they saw no money in it, then when THQ's UFC title sold very well EA see $$ signs and make their own MMA game.

    Danna said EA sports don't care about MMA and only money, and he's 100% correct, so let him hate on EA all he wants, we as gamers hate on them all the time for pretty much the same reasons.

  • BabyJesus #8 3 years ago

    EA have been pretty damn good recently, they have became one of my favourite publishers/developers in the last year or so. Anyone who is hating on them now (rehashing old arguments) clearly hasn't played any of their games recently.

    It's like people who hate Microsoft, just because they make money.

  • mkreku #9 3 years ago

    His name is Gegard Mousasi.. without the a at the end.

  • XdarXideX #10 3 years ago

    Agreeing with CountFapula here. Fedor isn't a PPV sell. In fact, I find it very strange how he's actually fearful of fame and publicity yet scored himself a cover image on the game.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/09 @ 11:51

  • stoopidgreg #11 3 years ago

    dana white is a tard, he wants a complete monopoly on the sport, whether it would be good for it or bad (obviously it's bad). he has pulled shit like this before, banning fighters because they go and fight in other promotions because the UFC isn't giving them enough fights and paychecks to actually make a living. dana would have people believe that UFC is the only mixed martial arts organization out there, and many people already use the term UFC to refer to MMA. it's funny that dana lets fighters rank up in other tournaments and then signs them, but when fighters choose to compete in other events and basically choose their own paths (when they're no longer contracted to UFC of course) he gets all pissy and talks smack about them, says they wont be in the game or they wont ever fight in the UFC again. the guy is a complete megalomaniac.

    as for MMA signing fedor, it's awesome news. it's good to hear there is competition in the genre because after all it will make better games from both companies.

    and anyway, fedor has said before he will never fight for UFC because he doesn't want to fight on american soil, and also that he hates the management behind UFC. he says he really likes the people behind affliction and pride and that is what is most important to him as a fighter. and i can agree with him, who wants to be associated with the asshole that is dana white?

  • GiarcYekrub #12 3 years ago

    Is it just me who though Dana White was a woman?

  • lavalant #13 3 years ago

    BabyJesus you're using terms like 'money' 'business' and 'capitalism' but without an ounce of passion and innovation for your products, those terms are best left to describe twats.

  • 8bitMofo #14 3 years ago

    Another MMA article, another gay joke...

  • XdarXideX #15 3 years ago

    "fedor has said before he will never fight for UFC because he doesn't want to fight on american soil"

    Wow... now I've lost some respect for him.

  • stoopidgreg #16 3 years ago

    my friend said he didn't want to fight in america, but it's not entirely true, i think this must be the quote he was referring to:

    "I will never feel free in the UFC. This way of working does not fit me. I don’t need to be owned by an American fight promotion that has only America in mind. The UFC owns their fighters, so they would interfere in a long relation between me and Sambo, the game and the people. If I want to make a Sambo fight it should be possible."

  • mkreku #17 3 years ago

    Fedor has fought on American soil plenty of times and he has never said he wouldn't. His fight against Barnett that was recently scrapped because of Barnett's doping failure was supposed to take place on American soil too. I don't know where you got that rumour from, but it is false.

    The reason Fedor does not want to fight in the UFC is because he wants to compete in sambo too. You know, the Russian sport that even Putin has competed in? Not allowed to, according to Dana White. The Emelianenko name? Belongs to Dana if you sign the contract. FOR LIFE. If he loses a fight in the UFC? Dana can instantly rip the contract, meaning no job security whatsoever. If Fedor wins in the Octagon? Dana has the right to prolong the contract. INDEFINITELY.

    Also, Fedor is part owner of M1, which is a competing organization. Since he's part owner, he wants to co-promote his own fights with Dana. No chance, says Dana. They don't want to share anything.

  • mkreku #18 3 years ago

    You honestly believe that a fighter that destroyed former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds, knocked out Glass Jaw Arlovski within the first round.. is afraid to go to the UFC because of "real competition"? Real competition as in 46 year old Couture? Big Nog who he already beat twice? TUF "stars"? Or is it the WWE champion that's scary?

    Wait. Let me guess, CountFapula, you're one of those guys who ranks Lesnar #2 in the world, huh?

    And stop with the "you guys need to learn MMA" BS, it's only tiresome.

  • XdarXideX #19 3 years ago

    This is all futile you guys must realise... you can't simply say a fighter is greater than another because they knocked this opponent out or took this guy to a decision blah blah blah. Fighters have different strengths and weaknesses and styles that either play against another fighter, or play into their hands. Fedor is no doubt very good at what he does, but that doesn't mean he's the "best pound for pound fighter in the world" as someone ranked much lower than him could possibly beat him with ease if their style of fighting and their strengths play against Fedor's weaknesses.

    Heavyweights tend to end up in short fights anyway because they have so much weight behind their strikes. Unless Fedor has a crash helmet under his scalp, I'm sure ANY heavyweight in the UFC could beat him with a clean punch.

  • jamespo #20 3 years ago

    calm down fapula, no-one cares

  • kobashi #21 3 years ago

    CountFapula - Fedor can't sell pay per views for shit, and he's ducked good competition for years.

    LOL please tell me your joking. He has beaten everyone out there that needs to be beat. Josh Barnett was the one fighter he needed to beat.

    The guy is the best fighter P4P on the planet. Please tell me which HW fighters he needs to beat and who he has been ducking?

    Also he cannot sell PPV's in America in non UFC promotion. You put any UFC fighter in strikefprce for example and see how many PPV's they sell without UFC promotion.

    funny how you fail to mention the very High TV rating and live gate Fedor was main eventing for Pride when in Japan. Stop sucking Dana's d**k!!

  • mkreku #22 3 years ago

    So, according to CountFapula, Fedor needs to go to the UFC to compete with the best. And Coleman (who Fedor beat several times), Sylvia and Arlovski are all former UFC hw champions. But now all of a sudden they suck. But if they suck AND were champions AND you need to go to the UFC to face the best.. something doesn't add up. Even you have to see that, CountFapula. Nogueira was the interim hw champion, and you still say he sucks. How do you become champion, suck and are the best competition for Fedor all at once?

    Also, do you remember how Couture (who was the reigning hw champion at the time) tried to leave the UFC to be able to fight Fedor? Dana brought his lawyers and stopped him. Who is actually "ducking" who? The only reason Fedor isn't fighting Mir/Carwin/Lesnar is Dana. Dana wants a monopoly. I hope he doesn't succeed.

    And finally, I can't believe you're trying to tell us other MMA fans that we have much to learn about MMA when YOU think an admittedly talented guy is the NUMBER ONE heavyweight in the world.. after only five fights! Of which one he lost!! Geez, give it some time, man. I am sure he CAN be #1, but not after five fights! He hasn't even met someone with heavy hands yet!

  • kingmong #23 3 years ago

    100% agree with you mkreku. that is the dana white/ufc fanboy/sherdog mentality. win a couple of fights, you are indestructible. lose one and you're washed up.

    and CountFapula, all that stuff about who did what to who is pretty much pointless. nog/crocop getting stopped and fedor beating them by decision doesn't mean anything. styles make fights, it's not a game of conkers!

    ps fedor beat nog multiple times in his prime. against mir he looked like half the fighter.
    Edited by 1 at 31/07/09 @ 09:35

  • XdarXideX #24 3 years ago

    Wait... CountFapula actually thinks Brock Lesnar is a decent fighter?

    Jesus...