[5] On June 1, 2009, Electronic Arts announced that an all-new fighting title is in development under the EA Sports brand.

Depending on the timing, the successful defense can result in a sprawl, transitional block or a reversal.

Submissions can be attempted, and the defending player can prevent the hold from being applied if he reacts quickly enough.

The idea is to tap the button in short bursts while maintaining the stamina at optimum levels and never letting it drain completely.

A colored marker moves along the circumference from clockwise to counterclockwise in unpredictable patterns and fades in and out of view.

The player (whether on offense or defense) must track and match the movement of the marker with the left analog stick.

Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock provide commentary, but are unable to announce most custom names.

EA Sports would choose the fighters based on their Hype videos and schedule fight cards just like in real life MMA.

"We put our asses on the line, THQ, and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world," White told reporters in July 2009.

Former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia[12] and Andrei Arlovski, as well as Frank Trigg[13] and Vladimir Matyushenko[14] confirmed their presence in the EA Sports MMA video game.

At the gatherings, UFC Hall of Fame fighter Randy Couture and former Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko, both of whom grace the cover of the game, finally got the opportunity to fight each other, albeit via their video gamer personas.