As combat sports fans gear up for the first night of Fight Island, the UFC dropped news on the next iteration of their EA Sports video game.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and BMF title winner Jorge Masvidal, who competes for the UFC welterweight belt against Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, were announced as the series’ latest cover stars.
EA Sports UFC 4 is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 14th August. There is currently no news about a release specifically for the new-gen consoles that are set to go on sale at the end of this year.
Among a whole raft of announcements about the game, it was revealed that heavyweight boxing champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are playable fighters on the game and you can gain access to these fighters if you pre-order the game.
There will also be a number of new features, including a revamped control system and new arenas for fights – including the backyards made famous by Masvidal and a 80s martial arts film-style Kumite backdrop.
“EA Sports UFC 4 is the best fighting game ever made,” UFC President Dana White said in the official press release. “Fans can play in the top arenas, as well as in Backyard and Kumite environments. This game allows you to play with the top athletes in UFC history, plus legends like Bruce Lee and boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. It’s crazy how good this game is.”
Similarly, the two cover athletes are excited to play a major role in the upcoming game:
“MMA is more than about the belt. It’s about who you are as a person and the determination that drives a fighter to go from unknown to selling out arenas all over the world,” said Masvidal. “I grew up backyard fighting so it’s exciting for me to see that style of fighting come to UFC 4 where players can bring out their Gamebred mentality.”
“I am the face of the new wave of UFC fighters, so it feels right to represent the sport on this new generation UFC game,” said Adesanya. “I look forward to my fans playing as me as much as I have enjoyed playing as myself.”
You can find a regularly-updated list of fighters announced to appear on the game here.