Tag: UFC 5

The UFC cover curse strikes again as Adesanya and Shevchenko come up short in consecutive weeks

UFCThe UFC cover curse has claimed two victims in the span of a week. Despite entering his UFC 293 title fight as a significant 7-to-1 favorite, Israel Adesanya came up short and surrendered his gold to Sean Strickland in a lopsided defeat that stunned fight fans around the world. A week later, flyweight great Valentina […]

UFC

The UFC cover curse has claimed two victims in the span of a week.

Despite entering his UFC 293 title fight as a significant 7-to-1 favorite, Israel Adesanya came up short and surrendered his gold to Sean Strickland in a lopsided defeat that stunned fight fans around the world.

A week later, flyweight great Valentina Shevchenko failed to regain the 125-pound title after her rematch with Alexa Grasso at Noche was controversially ruled a split draw.

Both fighters were revealed to be cover athletes for the EA Sports UFC 5 video game scheduled to be released on October, 27. Coincidence? Perhaps, but this is not the first time that a fighter has suffered a massive defeat shortly after seeing their mug slapped on the cover of the popular video game series.

For football fans in North America, all of this probably sounds familiar. The Madden Curse was something that had seemingly plagued players on the gridiron for years. It almost became an annual trend to watch how the latest cover athlete would see their career completely collapse. Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Vince Young, Adrian Peterson, and even NFL legend Brett Favre all found themselves suffering the wrath of the curse at one time or another.

Unfortunately, it appears the curse is not limited to one sport.

Are you Convinced That the UFC Cover Curse is Real?

Need some additional evidence? Welterweight fan favorite Jorge Masvidal was revealed to be the cover athlete for UFC 4 in 2020. That same year, he suffered a unanimous decision loss to then-titleholder Kamaru Usman. In fact, ‘Gamebred’ would not win another fight and announced his retirement in 2023 following a four-fight losing streak.

In 2018, Irish megastar Conor McGregor was revealed as the cover athlete for UFC 3. The Notorious’ would go on to suffer a fourth-round rear-naked choke defeat at the hands of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor has since lost two of his last three inside the Octagon and broke his leg in the opening round of a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021. He has not returned to the cage since.

Ronda Rousey, who appeared in the UFC 3 artwork alongside McGregor, found herself on the wrong side of a 48-second knockout courtesy of Amanda Nunes after being announced as a cover athlete. She retired from the sport shortly after.

With the curse claiming Israel Adeanya’s middleweight title and Valentina Shevchenko’s hopes of becoming a two-time champion this year, is it just a matter of time before featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, who will also appear on the cover of UFC 5, relinquishes his 145-pound crown?

Social media sensation Hasbulla to feature in EA Sports’ UFC 5 video game

HasbullaPint-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 […]

Hasbulla

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?

EA Sports’ UFC 5 video game will let you fight as rugby star Alexander Volkanovski

VolkanovskiIf you’ve ever dreamed of playing as rugby star Alexander Volkanovski rather than as the current featherweight champion, now is your time. EA Sports will release UFC 5 on October 27, more than three years removed from the popular game series’ previous entry. In addition to the official release date, gamers also learned that the […]

Volkanovski

If you’ve ever dreamed of playing as rugby star Alexander Volkanovski rather than as the current featherweight champion, now is your time.

EA Sports will release UFC 5 on October 27, more than three years removed from the popular game series’ previous entry. In addition to the official release date, gamers also learned that the pound-for-pound great will grace the cover alongside former flyweight world champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Since then, details surrounding the game have been slowly trickling out, but perhaps the most interesting one was pointed out by OOC MMA on X (formerly Twitter).

That’s right. In UFC 5, you can play as rugby star Alexander Volkanovski instead of the UFC version you’ve come to know and love over the last several years.

Just as He is Inside the Octagon, Alexander Volkanovski was a Formidable Force on the Pitch

For those unfamiliar, Alexander Volkanovski was a former semi-pro forward in rugby – a position typically reserved for far larger men – and was even heralded as one of the best at his position despite standing at a modest 5’6″. Over the course of his career, Volkanovski helped his team reach multiple grand finals and even won a championship during his time with the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas.

“[His opposition was] three times bigger, and he was the best in the whole league,” former Warilla Gorilla teammate Ngatai Hetet told The Athletic. “These guys are heavyweights like Brock Lesnar. Alex would just carry blokes. He would always fend a player off. He was unbelievable. If he had an extra foot, he would definitely be in the [National Rugby League].

“He didn’t give a f*** about how big people were. He would just run the ball all day. He had no fear, no matter how big they were. And even if someone twice the size of him started picking on him or tried to fight him, he would clean them up. You wouldn’t want to pick a fight with him, no matter how big they were.

“There was a guy named Shrek who was probably the biggest in the league. Almost 7 feet and 150 kilos. He and Alex ended up having a bit of a scuffle, a bit of a fight. Because Alex was so short, he had to jump up to try to punch him in the head. But Alex had no fear. He didn’t care how big you were. If you wanted to have a fight, Alex would” (h/t talkSPORT).

Will you be playing at rugby-star Volkanovski when you pick up your copy of UFC 5 next month?

Photos – Fans mock EA Sports UFC 5 new character models after confirmation of new cover athletes

Fans mock EA Sports UFC 5 cover athletes and new character models Adesanya Volkanovski ShevchenkoAhead of a full-scale reveal later this week, Canadian publisher and developer, EA Sports have received flak for their apparent new character models on next generation video game consoles, ahead of the release of UFC 5 later this year. Reports emerged late last month detailing how the publisher had decided on undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander […]

Fans mock EA Sports UFC 5 cover athletes and new character models Adesanya Volkanovski Shevchenko

Ahead of a full-scale reveal later this week, Canadian publisher and developer, EA Sports have received flak for their apparent new character models on next generation video game consoles, ahead of the release of UFC 5 later this year.

Reports emerged late last month detailing how the publisher had decided on undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and former undisptued flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko as the cover athletes for the new release of EA Sports UFC 5 later this year.

And furthermore, ahead of his own Octagon return at UFC 293 this weekend in Sydney, Australia, undisputed middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya – who featured as a cover athlete for EA Sports UFC 4, has returned to the cover, exclusively on the deluxe edition of the video game, however.

EA Sports UFC 5 features Alex Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko as cover stars

Reacting to the confirmation of the news, fans across social media have scoffed at apparent new character models created for EA Sports UFC 5 – particularly questioning the similarities and likeness of featherweight champion, Volkanovski, and his non-digitially created counterpart.

“The Great (shaking hands emoji) The Bullet,” EA Sports UFC posted on their official X account,” Your @UFC5 Standard Edition cover athletes Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko.”

“The main character is here,” EA Sports UFC posted on X. “Stylebender has returned as your #UFC5 Deluxe Edition cover athlete.” 

Slated to make his return on the cover of EA Sports UFC 5 later this year, undisputed middleweight champion, Adesanya featured as a cover athlete on the prior instalment of the video game, alongside the recently-retired former two-time welterweight championship challenger, Jorge Masvidal. 

Following his loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 back in November of last year, on digital versions of the video game, the Brazilian replaced Adesanya on the cover of EA Sports UFC 4 – before the City Kickboxing staple was reinstalled as the cover athlete after his own KO win over Pereira in April of this year.

Are you excited to play the new edition of EA Sports UFC 5?

Video – Alexander Volkanovski rumoured as EA Sports UFC 5 cover athlete after new teaser trailer

alexander volkanovskiThe trailer for the new UFC 5 game has been released and it looks like Alexander Volkanovski could be the cover star. As part of the Gamescon 2023 convention, games publisher EA released a short teaser for the upcoming UFC 5 game. The full reveal is to come at some point next month, but the […]

alexander volkanovski

The trailer for the new UFC 5 game has been released and it looks like Alexander Volkanovski could be the cover star.

As part of the Gamescon 2023 convention, games publisher EA released a short teaser for the upcoming UFC 5 game. The full reveal is to come at some point next month, but the short clip did give clues at who the new front cover athlete will be. 

Even though the figure only appeared for a matter of seconds, astute fans quickly worked to figure out who it was. Comparing the tattoos, most concluded it closely matched those of reigning featherweight champion, Volkanovski. If it is, the Australian will join the likes of Jon Jones, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, who have all graced the front cover. 

The game is set to be released at some point later this year, late October or early November.

Recently released teaser for the upcoming UFC 5 video game

Alexander Volkanovski as the next cover athlete?

The choice would make sense, Volkansokvki has proven himself as arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The 34-year-old is also well liked by the majority of MMA fans, especially after his performance as a big underdog against Islam Makhachev. 

While nothing has been made official, the front-runner for Alexander Volkanovski’s next opponent appears to be Ilia Tupuria. The 26-year-old dominated Josh Emmet last time out, shutting down the American’s game while working his fantastic boxing over the scheduled five rounds. 

A rematch with Makhachev is also something that makes sense, the pair battled hard over 25 minutes in an incredible display of MMA. Makhachev was tipped to dominate the contest by many, but in fact was pushed to the very limit by the much smaller Volkanvski

Do you think Alexander Volkanovski should be the UFC 5 cover athlete?

Fans call for Joe Rogan to be included in EA Sports’ recently-announced UFC 5 video game

UFCAfter years of keeping combat sports fans waiting, EA Sports finally announced its long-awaited UFC 5 video game. No official release date has been revealed as of yet, but the game is expected to receive a full reveal in September, more than three years removed from the release of the series’ last entry in August […]

UFC

After years of keeping combat sports fans waiting, EA Sports finally announced its long-awaited UFC 5 video game.

No official release date has been revealed as of yet, but the game is expected to receive a full reveal in September, more than three years removed from the release of the series’ last entry in August 2020. Upon hearing the announcement, fans flocked to social media and unanimously demanded that the game include long-time color commentator, Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan is Not a Fan of Doing Voiceover Work for UFC Games

While the game does include commentary, UFC 4 only features play-by-play man Jon Anik and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. However, the decision to omit Rogan from the franchise came from the popular podcaster himself, and not EA Sports.

“He hasn’t been shy about saying this on his own podcast; like, he hates doing it,” Creative Director Brian Hayes told GameSpot back in 2020. “If you’re not a person that [can] mentally get into that space, then I can see how it could be a very, you know, challenging, potentially mind-numbing experience for a certain type of individual.”

Rogan’s voice has been featured in past UFC games, but his dislike for doing voiceover work forced EA Sports to go another route.

“He was open with us from the very beginning that he hated his experience of doing voiceover on previous iterations of other UFC games, and things were no different for us,” Hayes said. “He hated doing voiceover on these games as well. That has nothing to do with us in particular, or, you know, our games versus other games. He just does not like sitting in a booth reading lines for hours at a time.”

With his podcast, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ taking up a significant amount of his time, the former Fear Factor host has even limited his duties at the commentary table, only appearing at pay-per-view events in the United States. That means you won’t hear Rogan’s beloved calls of “He hurt him!” in September or October as the promotion heads back to Australia and then Abu Dhabi this fall.