EA Sports UFC will be out this June, and for the first time, Bruce Lee will make his way to the Octagon as a day one access pre-order bonus.
In a press release, EA has announced that its next-gen sports fighting game, EA Sports UFC, will hit stores this June 17 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Not only that, but the publisher has also announced that legendary martial arts icon Bruce Lee will be the game’s pre-order bonus. Called the “Father of Mixed Martial Arts” by practitioners and even by UFC president Dana White, Bruce Lee’s inclusion into the game won’t be just a re-skin of another fighter but will be an actual videogame representation of the legend. “This does not just look like Bruce Lee. It is Bruce Lee. The way he carries himself, his fighting stance, his rippling physique, devastating speed, signature strikes and accompanying yells, whoops and shrieks,” claims EA Sports UFC art director, Ian Lloyd.
For those worried that they won’t be able to fight as Bruce without pre-ordering the game, don’t be. Players will be able to unlock Bruce by beating the career mode in pro difficulty or higher, and he can be be used for play in the Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. And don’t think EA Sports thought of including Lee as a gimmick, either. According to creative director Brian Hayes, “It has always been part of our vision to have Bruce Lee, the most iconic martial artist of all time, in the first ever EA SPORTS UFC. Hayes adds, “The team is very excited and tremendously honored to have the privilege of bringing Bruce Lee to life in our game. We’ve been working closely with the Bruce Lee team to ensure we represent the legend with as much visual and gameplay fidelity as possible.”
As someone who’s a big fan of both the UFC and Bruce Lee, I’m really happy with the Little Dragon’s inclusion. While Lee is known to be a practitioner of Chinese Martial Arts, movie fans might remember Lee as being the first person to introduce mixed martial arts to the world in Enter the Dragon. In the movie, Lee wore trunks and Kempo gloves which looks very similar to present day MMA attire. In addition to his garb, Lee even submitted actor Samo Hung with a modified armbar in the flick’s opening scene.
How do you think Bruce Lee’s fighter ratings will fare against current UFC fighters? More importantly, do you think Lee can stand toe-to-toe with today’s professional fighters?
