EA Sports UFC 5 Cover Athlete Reveal Gets Underwhelming Reception From Fans
The cover athletes for EA Sports UFC 5 have finally been revealed, but most fans seem to be hoping the cover art that accompanied the announcement won't be the final product for the game.
READ MORE: Ex-UFC Champ Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Announces "Grudge Match" With 14-Year TUF Rival
Rather than just settle for one cover like previous entries in the EA Sports UFC franchise, this year fans will have the option of purchasing two versions of the game with different athletes adorning each cover.
The Standard Edition of the game features UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko, who held the women’s flyweight title for more than four years before she was upset by Alexa Grasso at UFC 285.
READ MORE: UFC Champ Sean O'Malley Picks Next Fight, Sends Blunt Message to Challengers
EA Sports UFC 4 was released in 2020 with Jorge Masvidal and Israel Adesanya on the cover, and “The Last Stylebender” has the honor of being the cover athlete for the Deluxe Edition of the latest version of the game.
The timing of the cover athlete reveal certainly works out well for Adesanya considering he's set to defend his middleweight title this Saturday at UFC 293, while Volkanovski most recently stopped Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 for his fifth featherweight title defense.
Shevchenko’s inclusion as a cover athlete has been met with surprise by some fans considering she’s no longer a UFC champion, but she will have a chance to reclaim the women's flyweight title when she meets Grasso in a rematch at Noche UFC on September 16.
VIDEO: MMA Fighter Rushes Across Cage for Unbelievable 2-Second Knockout
Stick with MMA Knockout for more daily coverage of the UFC and MMA.