EA officially confirmed on Thursday that EA Sports UFC 5, the latest title in the ongoing mixed martial arts fighting game series, will launch on Oct. 27, 2023. The game will run exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S and will mark the first time a game in the series has earned an “M for Mature” ESRB rating. A reveal trailer for the game dropped as well, confirming that MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko will be a playable character for the first time since EA Sports MMA back in 2010. Boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson will alos be available alongside Emelianenko with a pre-order purchase of the Deluxe Edition.ย
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In-game renders of reigning UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko will be on the game’s cover, while UFC Featherweight Champion Isreal Adesanya will exclusively be on the game’s Deluxe Edition.ย
The UFC’s Merger With WWE
The UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, announced back in April that it would merge the MMA promotion with the WWE into a new company. Said company’s name was later revealed to be TKO Group Holdings and a new press release on Thursday stated the merger is expected to be completed on Sept. 12.ย
“Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR) (‘Endeavor’) and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) (‘WWE’) today announced they expect to close the previously announced transaction to form TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (‘TKO’) on September 12, 2023, at which time TKO will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘TKO’,” the release read.
Could Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey Return to the UFC?
There’s been growing speculation that two former UFC Champions and current WWE stars, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, could step back inside The Octagon in the near future to promote the merger between the two companies. UFC president Dana White has denied both rumors in recent interviews.
“Brock looks good, doesn’t he? He always does. I think Brock’s done,”ย White toldย Sports Illustratedย last month.ย “I don’t think he ever comes back.”
“There’s no shot. She’s accomplished everything she set out to do. Her dream was to win a UFC championship, then win a WWE championship, and she’s done it,”ย White toldย SI.ย “Now she’s starting a family. Ronda has made so much money, and she’s still making a lot of money in sponsorships.”
