EA Sports’ UFC series faces the same problem as real-life MMA: how do you attract casual fans while keeping the hardcore audience satisfied? It’s a problem that developer EA Vancouver has tried to tackle head on with UFC 4, but in doing so, the solid foundation built by 2018’s UFC 3 has been diluted.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the stand-up game. MMA catches most people’s attention when there’s fast-paced action and highlight reel knockouts; snippets that are easily shareable and don’t require you to know the difference between a gogoplata and omoplata to enjoy it.