EA Sports called a press conference this afternoon to announce that MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer, Randy Couture, will help to co-headline EA’s MMA video game that’s set for a release sometime next summer.
Here’s the EA MMA website release:
Randy Couture, one of the most popular fighters in MMA history, will co-headline EA SPORTS MMA alongside Fedor Emelianenko.
“I have been a part of MMA for over 10 years and I am excited about the global visibility that a game like EA SPORTS MMA will bring to the sport,” said Randy Couture. “Like my fighting career, I look forward to taking on all comers in EA SPORTS MMA.”
Randy Couture, a 6’1″, 220 pound heavyweight, who currently holds a 16-9 record and is a five-time MMA champion. Couture, a living legend in the MMA world, utilizes his wrestling expertise to take down and control opponents before finishing them off with ground and pound strikes. Couture is scheduled to fight at the end of this month against former Pride World Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In addition, this is not Couture’s first foray into the world of video games, as he was featured in EA’s Command & ConquerTM: Red AlertTM 3 as Commander Warren Fuller.
Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron, a high-profile fighter, joins the EA SPORTS MMA roster and will be taking on Jesse Taylor in tonight’s STRIKEFORCE fight on in San Jose, California.
Hieron currently holds a 17-4 record and the Long Island native utilizes his wrestling prowess as his primary fighting style but has become a formidable striker as well. He fights out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and was the last Welterweight Champion of the International Fight League.
EA SPORTS is sponsoring three fighters in the STRIKEFORCE event, including Jay Hieron, Gegard Mousasi, and Renato Sobral.
Payout Perspective:
It’s really not a surprise: Couture has been linked to the EA MMA game since before his contract dispute with the UFC was even settled.
I find it interesting that EA scheduled this press conference on the same Saturday as Strikeforce’s Carano vs. Cyborg card in order to announce that they’ve signed a UFC fighter to their game. Perhaps just a little get-back for the war of words that has occured over the last few weeks.
Also of note is the fact that EA is sponsoring Jay Heiron, Gegard Mousassi, and Renato Sobral for their up-coming Strikeforce fights. We’ve said it before but can’t possibly underscore it enough: EA is a huge company and to have their support behind MMA speaks volumes.
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