UFC President Dana White has backed away from his threat to blacklist fighters who sign up for EA Sports MMA but said that anyone who buys the game is “fucking nuts.”
THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2009, developed in conjunction with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was a surprise hit when it came out in May of last year, so it was no surprise at all when EA Sports announced its own MMA title just a couple months later. UFC President Dana White, feeling slighted by the fact that EA had previously refused to take a meeting with him because MMA isn’t a “real sport,” responded in his usual fashion: He swore a lot and promised that any fighter who appeared in it would never fight in the UFC.
But heads have cooled a bit in the intervening months and White has stepped back from that threat. “Nah, some people have crossed over,” he told Kotaku, “But believe me, this is still going to continue to be a battle… They’re the me-toos. The UFC game is the original game.”
White isn’t quite ready to kiss and make up, however. “[EA’s] earnings reports just came out and they suck. This company that used to control the whole videogame world and were these big fucking giants, we’ll see where they are in the next two years,” he continued. “And as as far as the MMA space goes, we’ll kick the living shit out of them.”
“If there’s anybody out there who is a UFC fan, you’re fucking nuts if you buy the EA game,” he added.
No, go ahead, Dana. Tell us what you really think. UFC Undisputed 2010 is scheduled for release in May on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP, while EA Sports MMA will come out later this year for the 360 and PS3.
