Story of UFC Undisputed attracting new fans
I was contemplating on whether or not to post this, but I felt it was a story worth telling.
My father and I have been huge UFC fans for awhile. Me and him started Jiu-Jitsu in the at around the same time and it was there we first heard about the UFC. Intrigued, we went to our local Blockbuster and rented the VHS and we became hooked. A few years later The Ultimate Fighter debuted and we then even became bigger fans of the UFC and started to buy the PPVs and I started going on the MMA sites. My brother, who is 3 years younger was never really into it. He found it "gay" because two men with no shirts were laying on each other. Not understanding, what was going on. This would go on for a few years until he started to admit he enjoyed the Ultimate Knockout specials but he couldnt stand it otherwise.
Then he heard about UFC Undisputed. My brother is into video games a bit and has a nack for picking up games quick and becoming real good at them. He thought the game would be like the Boxing Fight Night series which he was obsessed with. He got real amped for the demo to come out for Undisputed and became obsessed with the game right away and becoming amazed about how different MMA is from Boxing. WHen the game came out, he went through 4 career modes in a week becoming hooked with the game but little did I know the sport.
Soon, he would start asking me questions about the MMA. He'd ask about different techniques, fighters and who the hell Fedor was (after facing him so many times online). Now he watches all the Unleashed to get caught up with the sport and he's been taking a few of my DVD's and watching them too. He can't get enough of MMA and is counting down the days to 100.
I know this is just one example of the video game being able to attract new fans but I think it says alot. My brother hated MMA, thought it was stupid and gay, but since the game came out he is slowly becoming a diehard. I'm sure this isn't the only case of this happening. I think it shows UFC Undisputed has the ability to attract new fans and maybe make MMA the biggest sport in the country.
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9 recs |
40 comments
Comments
thanks for sharing
good to know.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
by Kid Nate on Jun 18, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Definitely rec’d. I’ve tried a million different things to get my old man into the sport – unfortunately, he gave up on video games when they invented the stick and stopped letting you use the D-Pad.
by subo on Jun 18, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My old man gave up when they invented the D-pad.
If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.
by Warden11 on Jun 18, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i like this story
my gf’s a gamer, and while she wont play this game, she (often is forced) to watch me play online for hours at a time, and is slowly starting to learn more about fighters and even more about bjj. (im a straight bjj guy so she knows a bit already)
Thats awesome your bro got into watching, and im hoping my gf will do the same, maybe we can even watch PPV’s together? (unlikely unless its gsp)
i didnt find your story boring at all, actually it was quite good.
by bluejitz on Jun 18, 2009 7:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks
Its just amazing how a video game can cause a complete 180 in someones view of a sport.
by Brian Bobby on Jun 18, 2009 7:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Good read man. Rec'd!
No doubt this game is already bringing new MMA fans. I’ve been on several game forums lately and under the UFC Undisputed topic you see a ton of MMA newbies asking all kinds of questions about MMA, UFC, the PPVs and how they are starting to watch it because of the game. I think its awesome.
I’ve played this game a TON since it came out and to this day I am still impressed. It’s not perfect but man did THQ and Yukes surpass my expectations in all aspects of the game. The career mode is addicting since you want to keep unlocking new skills and logos for your shorts and stuff. I’ve gotten all of them and am now moving on to getting all of the Camp logos too. Another reason I love the game so much is because my CAF looks exactly like me, no joke. :P It’s insane!

Anybosy want an arse whoopin hit me up on PSN or LIVE xFenixKnightx. :)
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, growing up as a child Kimbo Slice was never given any bread with his meals. This is why he insists people... give him his bread."
by xFenixKnightx on Jun 18, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think and the other type of fan interactions could have the same effect on the sport as Madden and fantasy did on the NFL.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
by BJJDenver on Jun 18, 2009 10:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
“i think this game”
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
by BJJDenver on Jun 18, 2009 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve played fantasy football for 3 years and haven’t watched a football game in about 4.
by Ahhhoki on Jun 19, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So you’re the ONE?
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
by BJJDenver on Jun 19, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Make it two.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
by Ozzz on Jun 20, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This article makes a pretty good point
You shouldn’t apologize at the end for it.
Quick question, for someone who is too poor to afford an X-Box and thus can’t play this game: in the CAF mode is it possible to alter the lengths of the limbs? So many CAF pictures I’ve seen seem to have dudes with really short arms.
by Chromium on Jun 18, 2009 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Nope
Can’t really alter the body much, the only way to make your arms longer is by making yourself taller….. hopefully that is something that will change for UFC Undisputed 2010.
What the fuck is a "robster craw"?
by Gunslinger20 on Jun 19, 2009 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
5 of my friends who are gamers and always talked about how MMA is gay, have played Undisputed and are now MMA (UFC branded of course) fans as well. The game is definitely drawing in non-fans who are gamers.
by CliChe Guevara on Jun 19, 2009 12:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Good stuff.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jun 19, 2009 3:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Really good story – to get even more fans, put BE’s URL in your sigs on gaming forums – one of us! one of us!
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Jun 19, 2009 4:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not to say that you're lying
But i get bugged after a while, when people say that they’ve been a fan of the sport since UFC 1. Fact of the matter is, the sport hasn’t even been in a public spotlight since TUF, and I have no shame admitting that i’ve only been a fan for like 2ish years.
But yeah, cool story if it’s true, and i’m glad your bro is getting into MMA.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 19, 2009 4:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Why does it bug you
that someone might have realized that this sport existed before you did?
I’m not even a regular poster around here, but I’ve been watching this sport with my father since I was a kid, and I’m 25 now. Do you just automatically assume I’m (and others) lying, or what??
I don’t get it.
V-I-K-I-N-G-S! Skol Vikings, Let's Go!!
by TheViking83 on Jun 19, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i dont get why that bugs people either
by Brian Bobby on Jun 19, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What bugs me is people who act like since they’ve been watching since UFC 1 they’re more of a fan than those who came in during the TUF generation.
by CliChe Guevara on Jun 22, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not saying that.
But hearing “I’ve been watching MMA since UFC 1!!!!” over and over, ad nauseam, can be pretty annoying.
Because odds are- no you haven’t. Not saying that you, specifically are lying, but I guarantee you that most people who claim that they’ve been watching since 1993 are probably full of shit.
As a rule of thumb, you don’t have to have been following the sport for a decade in order to be a knowledgeable fan. And no one thinks your cool if you have been.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 22, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I first watched the, but I also went something like 7-10 years between watching.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Jun 22, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no where did i say i have been watching the sport since ufc 1. I even said i didnt buy a ppv til after TUF. I said i used to get the tape at blockbuster
by Brian Bobby on Jun 19, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ok...
Well, the way you phrased it made it sound like you’ve been going to blockbuster to rent the UFC’s you missed since the 90’s.
And again, i’m not accusing you specifically. I’m just saying that the whole mentality of thinking that you need to have been a fan of the sport since it’s infancy, in order to be cool
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 22, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
is dumb.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 22, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I dont care when people started watching MMA. In fact, i want there to be more new fans so i have more people to talk about it with and watch with. I havent been watching since 93 cause i was 4 then. I really havent seen much of that mentality on this site. Sherdog forums forget about it. I never put anyone down, and I think you are doing the opposite of what u accused people who watched the UFC before TUF. Just bc someone got into something before you did isn’t a reason to get upset. I know i got into it because not many people took jiu-jitsu back then and my dad wanted to show me of how it could be used and so we rented the VHS tapes.
by Brian Bobby on Jun 22, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not putting anyone down.
Nor am I upset at anyone who ACTUALLY HAS been following the sport since UFC 1 or whatever. But I am tired of hearing about how every keyboard warrior in existence has been a diehard fan of the sport since Royce ‘stunned the world,’ in the early UFC’s.
Yet again, i’m not saying that you’re lying or anything. Also, you’re completely right about Sherdog- apparently, everyone on those forums have been watching MMA since the 90’s.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 22, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm new too
Roughly the same frame – I wasn’t turned on by TUF, though, but by a couple of close friends. If I’ve realized one thing, it’s almost better to me a newcomer to the sport because you don’t have to pick sides. I mean, you can, but you don’t have to.
People that have been here for a decade can be just as wrong as me – if not more so.
by subo on Jun 19, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I saw my first MMA fights pre-UFC.
Got a box of old VHS tapes that the video store was going to toss out around 1987 and one of them was an underground German event that didn’t seem to be any kind of recognizable sport per se. It was called ‘Big Fights: Germany vs World’. It seemed to have no rules except no hair-pulling, eye poking or groin punching.
I kinda of enjoyed it at the time, but was also weirded out by it because a lot of the fighters looked like nazi skinheads, and their opponents were all non-white and smaller than their German opponents, and the crowd was vehemently against them in an icky way.
Anyways, there were karate guys and kickboxers and it was pretty cool to see as a teenager who had never heard of vale tudo or MMA.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
by Ozzz on Jun 20, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't have the game
and I don’t have a PS3 – so if someone could clarify when the OP said “who the hell Fedor was (after facing him so many times online)” what this meant that would be great.
If Fedor in the game?
by rainmaker6 on Jun 19, 2009 5:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I got invited to fight a 119 rated Lebron James
by CliChe Guevara on Jun 22, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i’ve definitely seen the same thing. always have a group of friends come over for UFC. i had 2 friends over who had never seen UFC before last weekend for 99, but loved the game. interesting note is they’re both World of Warcraft diehards.
as far as i understand, WoW has lots of new updates to it, and thats why its so popular. i dont recall a single patch i’ve had to download for the UFC game yet. i would have thought when selecting a weight class, Lyoto Machida would have popped up for LHW. if the game stays the same with no new add ons for a year, and for all intents and purposes, its a repetitive game (1 vs 1), i wonder how long until gamestops shelves are loaded with this game and the new “fans” ditch the sport when they sell the game back.
by MicahW on Jun 19, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i wonder how long until gamestops shelves are loaded with this game and the new "fans" ditch the sport when they sell the game back.
Same thing happens to every sports game every year, and you know what?? Everybody comes back to buy the next year’s installment.
V-I-K-I-N-G-S! Skol Vikings, Let's Go!!
by TheViking83 on Jun 19, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s not really a good comparison.
WOW is an adventure type game, if they didnt’ keep adding new stuff, eventually you would, “beat” the game.
This is completely different, it’s a sports game, there isn’t new stuff to add. you play for the year and buy a new one the next year. The only updates other sports games get are an occasional roster update or fixing a bug. 1 or 2 new fighters isn’t really going to change anything for anyone.
by Phildo on Jun 19, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re comparing 2 entirely different genre’s of games. Fighting games are about competition and gameplay, not additional story lines, costumes, and DLC.
by CliChe Guevara on Jun 22, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
cool story
ufc100 is a hell of a first ppv for him to watch too.
by woooburn on Jun 19, 2009 1:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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