Other features that were praised include the improvements made over the previous game and the large roster of fighters.

For a regular UFC match, the player chooses a fighter and may customize several aspects of the fight, such as the opponent, the venue, and the rules.

The player can utilize a variety of attacks, such as kicks, punches, submissions, and takedowns, in order to beat their opponent.

Other details include a crowd, referees, octagon girls, an announcer, and commentary from Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.

[2] The referees are also expanded, with Herb Dean and Dan Miragliotta making their first appearance in this franchise along with Yves Lavigne and Mario Yamasaki.

The new Knockout Physics System allows players to knock out opponents dynamically based on finishing hits' momentum and strength.

[10] "The Notorious" Conor McGregor defeated his opponent José Aldo Jr. meaning he would be the second cover fighter.

[12] Players who pre-ordered the game have the ability play as four additional fighters: Bas Rutten, Kazushi Sakuraba, and two different versions of Mike Tyson.

As a result, the team decided to improve the grapple mechanic in order to deliver an "on-boarding experience", and added five new modes to the game.

A traditional fighting game this is not, and the genuine attempts at simulating a dense sport result in clumsy combat that only on occasion captures the drama and nuance of human chess."

[21] GameSpot's Richard Wakeling gave the game a 7 out of 10 and stated: "EA Sports UFC 2 is a welcome improvement on its predecessor that shows this series is going in the right direction."

Wakeling called the visuals "incredible", praised the "robust" fighting mechanics, and commended the improvements made to several of the gameplay systems, such as the grappling.

[22] GamesRadar's David Meikleham wrote: "Bruising, buggy and beautiful, UFC 2 is a technically triumphant fighter, but its combat can easily flounder and frustrate."

[23] Josh Robertson from IGN gave the game a 6.4 out of 10, writing: "While UFC 2 certainly looks the part, it doesn't feel it.

As a fighting game it's worth your time if you're seeking something other than the usual options, but as a recreation of the UFC it falters before the final bell.

[25] Adam Beck for Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 3 out of 5 and wrote: "EA Sports Canada has improved upon the UFC formula greatly, although plenty of the modes still feel shallow.

[...] It's more rewarding to play through the online-centric Championship mode despite it relying heavily on card packs and RNG pulls.

Fortunately, there are far fewer glitches to be found, especially comparing this to the first game EA Sports released, although the physics still certainly go out of whack more than they should.

Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated EA Sports UFC 2 for "Fighting Game of the Year".