With the UFC holding an event this weekend that some have hyped as the biggest fight this year, there’s no doubt the sport of MMA is growing rapidly in North America. With four events scheduled between now and March 7th, (one of which is FREE on Spike TV) there’s a lot of combat to be witnessed for UFC fans in the coming weeks.

However, the one thing on most fans’ minds is the UFC’s first venture into the “next gen” of gaming.  In the year 2000, Dreamcast fans were actually the first that were treated to a UFC based MMA game. The Ultimate Fighting Championship was then released onto the Playstation. In 2002, the Playstation 2 greeted the next installment named, “UFC: Throwdown”. A few months later, the Microsoft fan club got their paws on UFC: Tapout for the original Xbox. And finally, 2004 was another year for UFC gaming as “Sudden Impact” hit the Playstation 2.

With the past well behind us, a sigh of relief came from all UFC fans whenit was announced that the world’s biggest MMA organization would be teaming up with THQ. The relationship was a match made in heaven. Known for their WWE Wrestling games, it seemded like a natural fit to bring the UFC into the mix. Before MMA fans berade me with hate mail, the reason I say it’s a natural fit is simply because of this: Yukes took the WWE style of ‘pro-wrestling’ combat shown on TV, and made it an actual competetive sport in a video game. Taking a sport , such as MMA, and converting it into a video game is something it seems as though THQ/Yukes was made to do. And believe me, they’ve done a heck of a job.

John Edwards, Senior Creative Manager at THQ, was kind enough to sit down with ConsoleFighter.com and answer a few questions regarding the game.

Enjoy!

It may be a secret but the #1 question right now is, what is the Official Release Date?

We are currently on track for a Spring 2009 launch for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

A lot of fans on the web are curious about how the champions will be handled in the game. For example; If Brock Lesnar is the champ in your career, will that reflect in exhibition mode? Or, would the champion in exhibition mode differ from the Career mode?

Exhibition Mode allows players to quickly select a fighter, venue, and fight options and then proceed to a fight.  While stats and records are displayed and impact how each fighter plays and acts based on their real world counterparts, there exists no crossover from other modes.  In Career Mode, the current champ is the champ for as long as he remains undefeated.

So far, intros in the videos released on the web, have consisted of just fighter in-ring introductions. Will there be full entrances?
If so, will users be able to customize their music?

For UFC 2009 Undisputed, we feel the most important aspect of our game is the action that occurs inside the Octagon.  We want to make sure that it is as fun and representative of real MMA fights as possible.  As a result, we  will not be supporting full entrances .

In terms of the Roster, asking to divulge into all 80 fighters at this point in development would be premature. However, that being said, do you have a list of who’s confirmed so far, and also, will there be any special additions as playable characters?

Certainly!  The following fighters have been officially confirmed: Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian, Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Roger Huerta, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Joe Stevenson and Georges St-Pierre.

UFC 2009 looks like the controls will be something to be mastered. Will there be a training mode in which we can develop and build on our fighters’ disciplines? And also, where we can learn the intricate controls of the game?

We definitely set out to make sure that while the combat in UFC 2009 Undisputed is very visceral and easy to pick up, it is also deep enough to faithfully recreate the intricacies and strategy that people expect from the ground game.  Because of the deep nature of the combat system, our Training Mode is made up of both a Tutorial Mode that teaches players every facet of combat, from strikes and counters to takedowns and submissions; and a Practice Mode that allows players to practice any of their techniques against an  AI opponent that can be set to exhibit a number of behaviors.

Fight Stoppages. Will fights be stopped to get fighters to stand up after too much ground work no going nowhere? Punches to back of the head? Thumbs to the eyes, mishits to the groin etc.

The referees are very aware of the action that occurs inside the Octagon, and if the fighters are too inactive, they will definitely stand them up or reset them to keep the action moving.  We do not currently support illegal attacks.

The Career mode says that the ultimate goal will be to enter the UFC hall of fame. Before that, when you begin your career as a created fighter, how does one begin in the UFC? Do we begin in preliminary fights and work up to the main event, or will there be some sort of “The Ultimate Fighter” feel to breaking into the big time?

We want to make sure that players get the feel of what it would be like to be an actual fighter in the UFC, inside and outside the Octagon.  As a result, we are recreating the path that an actual UFC fighter would take, from the very beginning of his career all the way up to mega fights with the greatest MMA fighters alive.  While the ultimate goal is in fact to secure a spot in the Hall of Fame, only the best fighters will have that opportunity.  We’ll be revealing more information about Career Mode later this year.

In MMA, tapping fists at the beginning of the fight is a sign of respect. We’ve learned that the direction pad will give the user options on what to do when that moment comes… can you give more details on what other options will be? And how will it effect the agressiveness of the A.I. if you do something, disrespectful.

Beyond tapping fists, the directional pad also triggers a variety of taunts and non-combat related animations.  These are all designed to be used when playing against a live opponent, and they do not have any direct gameplay significance against an AI character, though they will learn to not attempt to touch gloves if you have exhibited unsportsmanlike conduct in the past.

The view the user gets will be very important in this game. Does we have options to change the angle to what appeals to us?  Is there a “first Person” view?

While we don’t allow the player to change the angle of the camera during a fight, we have made sure that the camera is always showing the most relevant action occurring in a bout from the most advantageous angle to support gameplay.  Because of the constant control nature of our combat, we feel like the player will have enough to worry about in the Octagon without the added complexity of camera control.

A very important aspect in MMA is Fighter Records. If someone beats Rashad Evans during career mode, will his record show the loss throughout the career? Also, will these stats be kept during exhibition mode?

Every fighter’s record in Career Mode is updated to reflect their wins, losses and draws within that Career Mode playthrough, so dethroning Rashad Evans is definitely possible.  However, records do not carry over into other game modes or new Career Mode playthroughs.

Has a fighter been chosen for the cover? If so, can you give details?

We have indeed chosen which fighter or fighters will be appearing on our cover, but unfortunately you will have to wait and see who made the cut when the cover is officially released!