EA Sports UFC 5 is only a few short weeks away and EA has busted out a slew of new information on the game today. There’s a fair amount of information that we already know - including a revamped submission system to make those easier to do than ever before alongside a massive roster of combat sports legends available via pre-order including Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and the PRIDE FC icon Fedor Emelianenko. However, we didn’t have a ton to work with when it came to new modes until now.
UFC 5 will feature a UFC Fight Week, with live service integration allowing for a variety of challenges to be connected to a UFC PPV card in new and exciting ways. The very EA MMA game featured a live service element with online cards and online commentary - so it will be interesting to see how this is fully-executed. There will be a Fight Week Challenge component where each fight week, players get a PPV-affiliated object set that unlocks rewards when completed. The end goal here will be to get new items for created fighters including cosmetics, profile customization options, emotes and UFC Athlete Alter Egos.
There will also be a Fight Picks option that allows players to make predictions for the main card of PPVs. You will be able to climb a leaderboard and gain even more customization assets with correct picks. This is a great option for those who love fantasy fight picks online, although we’ll see how things pan out with things like last-minute card changes due to injury and the like. Time will tell how that pans o ut, while Fight Week Contracts allow for daily fight challenges. This will feature AI opponents made up of bouts set up by current UFC calendar fights on the horizon.
The online career mode is a standalone mode option that allows for skill-based matchmaking to ensure that players aren’t in over their heads too much, while also having the ability to have progress in every division - with title challenges across all four available divisions. Created fighters will be able to have their skill sets grow alongside gaining skills in real-time with every victory and defeat.
Finally, there will be a revamp of the Fight Now mode enabling a large variety of different settings to be used. You can have main card fights, main events, title fights, backyard fights and kumite fights available. UFC 5 will be launching on October 27 on Xbox Series consoles and the PS5, with the deluxe edition offering up early play on October 24. EA Play members can also enjoy a 10-hour trial starting on October 24.
