Pint-sized social media star Hasbulla will feature in EA Sports’ upcoming UFC 5 video game scheduled to be released on October 27.
But before you get too excited, we should note that Habsulla will not be a playable character in the upcoming release. Instead, the YouTube sensation will feature in the background, walking out with certain Dagestani fighters and appearing in the Octagon during post-fight celebrations in the game.
Nearly a year ago, the 3’4″ Russian with a larger-than-life personality signed a deal with the UFC to act as an ambassador for the promotion. Announcing his partnership with the company, many wondered whether or not we could actually see him step inside the Octagon for a scrap with his long-time rival Adbdu Rozik.
Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case, but fight fans can still get their Hasbulla fix this fall with the release of UFC 5 on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Hasbulla Won’t Be the Only Interesting Addition to UFC 5
The news of Hasbulla’s involvement in the game comes shortly after it was revealed that gamers could actually play as the 205-pound rugby star version of reigning featherweight world champion Alexander Volkanovski.
During a Q&A session, EA revealed that the roster at launch will be loaded with over 300 fighters, but new fighters and alternate versions of your favorite UFC stars will be added throughout the lifecycle of the game.
“The roster size, if we’re talking about at launch, will be over 250 unique fighters,” developers game developers Nate MacDonald, Raman Bassi, and Jazz Brousseau said. “If we add fighters that are in all the different weight classes and we add Alter Egos, we’re going to be at 300-plus at launch. Beyond that, there will be Alter Egos being added monthly and new licensed fighters in the UFC, based on what their trajectory looks like in the real world. It won’t be a locked roster. We will be adding to the roster every month during the life cycle of UFC 5” (h/t MMA Junkie).
With the game still weeks away, EA Sports will likely continue to trickle out details surrounding their fifth edition of the popular series. Which surprises are you hoping to see included in UFC 5 this fall?