UFC is "at war" with Electronic Arts News

Well, it's not a real sport though, is it?

There. Declare war on me, Dana, you big girly nancy boy!

I love UFC and boxing and any other combat 'sports' I can find.

But calling them sports is using the term pretty loosely.

All combat sports ultimately come down to smashing the other person's face in. That's not sport, that's just legalised violence.

And I looooove it!!!

It's better than f**king football anyway.

"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a videogame deal in the worst economy in the world,"

Zimbabwe?

Dana and his big mouth. When does this guy ever shut up!!

Dana is at war with EA but had no problem letting EA use the TUF finals for sponsorship of Fight Night Round 4.

"Zimbabwe?"

Indeed. I also question quite how much their 'asses' were 'on the line'. Unless his definition of 'ass on the line' is accepting a licensing fee from THQ while they took all the risk and completely covered the cost of development - which is how these things normally work.

This man is clearly a tool.

Define "sport" then guys. What makes football a sport, but MMA not a sport? Is it a ball? Do you need a ball??

This guy hasnt had many dealings with publishers has he? 99% of game pitches get laughed out of the room. There's nothing wrong with EA waiting to see if there's a market for it.

@Kobashi-
was that the sponsor on uk tv? Was it placed before the show or during? I can't remember seeing it in the US broadcasted episodes I downloaded.

He is an absolute idiot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbw0eTmn13c

dana is a ####### legend!

Some how I don't think EA give a damn about Dana's ramblings - they own the licences for FIFA, NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB, and all those combined produce more money per minute than the UFC does per year. While I enjoy the UFC and think that MMA is a legitimate sport, Dana white needs to get down off his high perch and start treating business liasons with more respect, other wise his organization might not get as big as he wants it to.

It's really physical, so it's a sport. I mean, hell, shooting a gun is in the Olympics, and many sources refer to golf as a sport. Fighting is more a sport than many other.

@rhubarbandcustard:
"I love UFC and boxing and any other combat 'sports' I can find. But calling them sports is using the term pretty loosely. All combat sports ultimately come down to smashing the other person's face in. That's not sport, that's just legalised violence."

spoken like a true idiot

sport (n) a game, competition or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job.

how do combat sports not qualify? participants train hard to learn techniques & tactics so they can compete in controlled environments according to predefined rules. It's not like they just hop up from behind their megadrives one day, climb into the ring/cage and start windmill punching like primary school children!

And EA dont make proper games, what's the difference

This guy hasnt had many dealings with publishers has he? 99% of game pitches get laughed out of the room. There's nothing wrong with EA waiting to see if there's a market for it.

Pretty much. Now that they (EA) see the market, they want a piece. Thats business. And he needs to learn to handle competition without sounding like a whiny little bitch.

Well first off, who gives a shit if its a sport or not. Its not like he called your mum a lady of the night.

Second, how exactly will this war be conducted? Will it be a war of words (in which case, I am guessing EA will win, CAPS-LOCK usage not withstanding)? If its literally a punching match (or a stranglehold match, as I believe those are very popular in UFC) I suspect angry man might come out on top (ahaha, ahem).

Thirdly, maybe if your sport wasn't called "Ultimate Fighting", people might take it more seriously. In the eyes of most of the world, its like WWF with real punching.

And of course, this bluster is all marketing PR to hype the game. Everyone knows that right?

Is this guy for real? He's actually in charge of something?

I don't know anything about UFC or stuff like that but I don't think I'd want to do business with him either, he sounds like a bit of a dick tbh. I can just imagine him ranting in that interview like a WWE wrestler, grabbing the interviewers mic, pointing into the camera, and all that. I bet he concluded the interview with 'BRING IT ONNNNN' or 'LETS MIX IT UPPPPPPP' or something like that.

Looks like the roid rage is kicking in

kingmong: I like combat sports but if you think boxers and mma fighters aren't psychopaths you need to extract your head from between their rosy cheeks.

Most of these people would hurt you for no reason at all.

Just like any other thug out there.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you read celebrity gangster memoirs and think deep down their alright geezers too.

Ass.

Well for starters not too many sports people are that clever up top, hence why they are paid to kick, thwack, stroke balls etc rather than find cures for cancer but that's not a bad thing. However people play particular sports because they like doing it ergo, UFC "sportsmen" just do it because they are violent thugs who enjoy mashing other people's faces in.

Woah Roid rage alert!

Watch out EA, MMAs can kill a man with their bare hands, and I bet they don't teach you how to do that at the squash courts...you in trouble.

Seriously, what a twat though.

Wow, lots of ignorance going on in here again.

Kangarootoo UFC is not a sport, it's a franchise or federation if you will. The sport it involves is called Mixed Martial Arts.

OptimusTard please go do some research before commenting on something you clearly know little about. There are loads of intelligent fighters in MMA and the UFC. It doesn't pay to be a slugger in this business unless you're Brock Lesnar. Also, while the sport may be high on violence, it doesn't mean the fighters are vicious people. They actually exercise restraint in regards to submission by choke or hyperextension of a limb. There have been no deaths or serious lasting injuries in the UFC.

rhubarbandcustard: congratulations - you're twice the retard i thought you were, and that is impressive... any time someone uses phrases like "most of these people would hurt you for no reason at all" it's pretty clear you're dealing with someone who has a no real clue about the social group they're describing.

I watch combat sports because I enjoy watching skillful athletes compete. you seem to watch it because you like watching people you have no respect for smash each other up. one of these is an unhealthy & violent outlook.

I would advise taking a couple of mma/muay thai/boxing classes. you'd quickly see clubs are populated by pretty much the same cross-section of people you get in work/college/everywhere else. mostly normal nice people with the occasional unreasonable tool thrown in - pretty much like this thread i suppose. you could even get a chance to lose that chip on your shoulder.

@XdarXideX

I never claimed to be knowledgeable on the subject. Indeed, I thought I was pretty clear when I said "who gives a shit if its a sport or not."

And your definition of "great restraint" seems to extend to the fighters basically not killing each other. Some might suggest that was the bare minimum of restraint required.

I think two extreme views are forming here, and we should be wary of that.

You obviously feel that the majority of UFC particpants are balanced and restrained individual. rhubarbandcustard on the other hand feels that all combat "sports" participants are psychotic.

Now I might not agree with him in the extreme, but it hard to argue against the suggestion that people who are violent for a living enjoy being violent. And that invites the question, are people that enjoy being violent "normal in the head".

I've sparred in kungfu in the past, and I enjoyed it. But were very padded up and there was no question that causing harm to the opponent was simply not part of the deal. It was the skill of landing blows, not the damage caused by those blows. I would have been mortified if I had actually hurt someone. UFC on the other hand (among other combat "sports") is entirely based artound the actual causing of physical harm (or pain). THAT I think is what some find "unusual and disturbing".

Why would a fighter choose a sport that directly involves physical harm, when other semi-contact combat sports exist? Because they enjoy it?...

@kingmong

Same question to you.

I can see the reasoning behind a combat sport that involves all of the skill you describe, but with the existence of semi-contact sparring that tests those same skills, why choose a full contact variant that fundementally requires the causing of physical harm?

"EA doesn't give a **** about mixed martial arts"

Well nether do I, what a crock of shit.

I like combat sports but if you think boxers and mma fighters aren't psychopaths you need to extract your head from between their rosy cheeks.

you win the idiot of the week award. you can't seriously believe that all people that compete in combat sports are violent psychopaths?

jahB: why are people so apologetic for fighters?

Fighting IS thrilling entertainment.

But, if you willingly and repeatedly punch, kick, knee and elbow someone in the face until they're unconscious and unable to defend themselves then is it really so surprising that some of your audience, namely me, despite being entertained would regard you as a complete psycho.

haha reminds me of the time louis theroux told 'sarge' wrestling was scripted. then he got a severe bollocking.

@ XdarXideX. EA advertised Fight Night Round 4 on the UFC mat during TUF 9 Finale.

I am sure they advertised on Spike TV during the show also.

kangarootoo: interesting questions and btw I agree about the polarised views. my point was that combat athletes aren't any more balanced or crazy than the rest of the population. on your question about semi-contact, the skill set required is remarkably different really. semi-contact is all speed & reaction time, full contact adds factors like strength, power and toughness into the equation.

why do people do it? many different reasons if you ask me. what is true in my experience is that they don't do it because they're crazy and they want to hurt people... watched an interesting documentary about muay thai recently, this trainer was asked why western people take up the sport "why they start? maybe they've got something they want to prove to themselves, maybe they want to see if they can stand up and face another person in the ring. but if they find out they're good at it - then they start to enjoy themselves. they start to enjoy the sport". that's my theory - people like doing things they're good at!!

that doesn't explain why i get into arguments on the internet unfortunately though...

@kangarootoo

I understand that point of view but it's wrong in most cases. In MMA, the fighters are doing it for a living. It's not street fighting. It's a controlled environment with rules and regulations much like any other sport. These guys don't go in there to nearly kill each other (with the exception of a few fighters such as Thiago Alves) they go in there to be better than the other guy at what they do and move up the rankings. It's all about self, not hating on the other guy. In fact there are lots of MMA fighters who will happily just score points and let the judges decide who wins after 15mins/25mins. MMA fighters respect each others skills and do not want to cause any kind of injury that can affect their opponents' careers. That's the restraint I'm talking about.

@Kobashi
Oh really? I completely missed that despite watching all the episodes! Dana can be a bit of a tool, Still, as much as people hate him, he's done wonders for the UFC and MMA in general.

Why is no one answering the question?

Why would a fighter specifically choose to particpate in a full contact combat sport where the causing of physical harm is intrinsic, when semi-contact variants that test their skill as a fighter also exist?

Come on JahB, as you've joined the discussion. Calling each other idiot of the week is all very well and good, but this is starting to remind me of British politics, where everyone critisises each other's point of view, instead of clearly explaining their own.

Edit: Ah, someone answered as I was typing. Am reading now. :)

@XdarXideX

I guess people are drawn to doing to a job they like, but as you point out there are various aspects to like or dislike about contact sports.

And I suppose also that people are drawn towards doing a job they are good at, even if there are aspects of that job they don't necessarily identify with. If I turned out to be very good at contact sports and could do very well in that field, would I pursue it?... hard to say

And I will say that I agree that suggestions that all boxers are thugs is a poor diversion. An ad hominem that harms the discussion.

P.s. this UFC guy is not helping himself or his business in that regard. All any good ad hominem needs is a loud mouth tit to validate its stereotypes :)

@kangarootoo

Why do Rugby players not wear padding when they play a dangerous contact sport? These guys wear boots with spikes on the soles.

You're likening MMA to a Martial Art about striking and points scoring alone. Think about what all the padding would do for the grappling game. Add some head gear in there and you'll never be able to escape any kind of hold involving your head or neck. Torso padding would stop any kind of ground grappling to some degree. As the rules go in MMA, the fight isn't over until someone can't continue or the time is up (or in some cases if the medic says it's over). These guys are tough and if you watch a few fights you'll see that often when someone is knocked down they get right back up again if left alone. That's an opportunity wasted for the guy who knocked him down. That's potentially a win gone right out of the window. Many a time has a fighter been knocked down only to come back and win the fight after recovering.

Causing pain is part of any combat sport, including competition Kung Fu. But that's not what they're there to do. They're there to win, to be better than the opponent. Not to put the boot in out of spite.

"why choose a full contact variant that fundementally requires the causing of physical harm?"

Because that is what people want to see. So thats where the money is.

@knagarootoo

Exactly. If you looked at some interviews or information about people such as Georges Saint-Pierre and Lyoto Machida you'll see why they do it. They just want to be the best at what they do. Look at Forrest Griffin who actually likes getting beaten up but respects EVERYBODY and only fights basically to cleanse his soul... sure some people are weird but none of these guys actually do it because they're sadistic. They'd be in the wrong job as this one has rules. It's actually a pretty selfish sport.

@XdarXideX Dana White has done some good things yes but he claims to have done other things that were never done before which is pure BS. Some of the stuff he claims to have done were already done in the UFC under the old ownership.

I am not sure if he has done wonders for MMA in general though. He has succesfully made UFC more popular yes but MMA in general is very debatable. Look how may other MMA organisations have failed and the few that have survived do very small PPV numbers. Dana has made sure MMA in America and Europe is only UFC.

I just wish we still had an organisation the size of Pride FC. Pride was always bigger and better than UFC and having another organisation of that size is only good for the fighters.

I disagree with the comments about assuming fight sports are fundamentally about hurting others. Great quote from Joyce Carol Oates' “On Boxing.” “For, contrary to stereotyped notions, boxing is primarily about being, and not giving, hurt." The pain the fighter feels in training, the hassle with dieting, cutting weight, and then the pain when you're actually in the ring. That kinda makes sense to me - the training, fighting etc is about passing though the pain and overcoming it.

Edit: lile XdarXideX said, a very personal, internal (& possibly selfish) thing

plus, dana white & his mouth are his own and MMA's worst enemy. dude is a loudmouth idiot.

ufc probably wouldn't be where it is without all that hype tho i suppose.

@kobashi

You know... I miss Pride FC from yesterday! I know Dana has kept UFC at the front of MMA but the interest in MMA in general has grown considerably.

The president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has decided to grab some free advertising by declaring the organisation is "at war" with Electronic Arts - but says they started it.

USE THE CHAIR!!!

@XdarXideX

"Why do Rugby players not wear padding when they play a dangerous contact sport? These guys wear boots with spikes on the soles."

Oh come on. Perhaps the rules forbid padding of the players? Maybe in a game where you have to tackle other people, loose padding could actually increasde the risk of injury? And the spikes on the boots are to provide traction and they are absolutely necessary. Get serious.


"You're likening MMA to a Martial Art about striking and points scoring alone. Think about what all the padding would do for the grappling game. Add some head gear in there and you'll never be able to escape any kind of hold involving your head or neck. Torso padding would stop any kind of ground grappling to some degree. As the rules go in MMA, the fight isn't over until someone can't continue or the time is up (or in some cases if the medic says it's over). These guys are tough and if you watch a few fights you'll see that often when someone is knocked down they get right back up again if left alone. That's an opportunity wasted for the guy who knocked him down. That's potentially a win gone right out of the window. Many a time has a fighter been knocked down only to come back and win the fight after recovering. "

At what point did I suggest that UFC fighters should be padded? Most of the paragraph above has nothing to do with the discussion, least no part that I've been involved with. No doubt that within the rules of UFC, padding would do more harm than good. That was never my point.


"Because that is what people want to see. So thats where the money is."

Well that seems like a fair answer. I wasn't asking the question as a challenge. And I referred to the same above when I wondered whether I would follow such a career if by some mad twist of fate I turned out to be good at it.

Like I said before, I don't actually agree that all boxers etc are mentalists (some of them clearly are). Some other posters said that, but not me. I'm just raising the questions :)

@kangarootoo
"Why do Rugby players not wear padding when they play a dangerous contact sport? These guys wear boots with spikes on the soles."

Oh come on. Perhaps the rules forbid padding of the players? Maybe in a game where you have to tackle other people, loose padding could actually increasde the risk of injury? And the spikes on the boots are to provide traction and they are absolutely necessary. Get serious.

On a point of order: they do wear armour. Light armour intended to protect the more fragile bones and organs and so on but still armour.

Basically they're not idiots.

http://www.barringtonsports.com/browse/r...

Anyway, back to the article: throw him through a table!

Pram - - - -> Toys