VIDEO: EA Sports UFC 5 Trailer Reveals MMA Legend As Playable Character

One of the sport's all-time greats is set for his first appearance in a UFC video game.

Author:
Drew Beaupré
Publish date:
Sep 7, 2023 4:25 PM EDT

The official trailer for EA Sports UFC 5 is finally here, and anticipation for the game is set to get even higher after it was revealed that MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko will be included as a playable character.

It was announced earlier this week that Valentina Shevchenko, Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya would feature as cover athletes for the two versions of EA Sports UFC 5, although fan reception to what is presumably not the final cover art was admittedly a bit lackluster.

Fans are still stuck waiting to see actual gameplay footage of the latest UFC video game, but the EA Sports UFC 5 official reveal trailer did help build anticipation for the game’s release by showcasing that “The Last Emperor” will be a playable character.

Arguably the biggest name in MMA history to never compete in the UFC, Emelianenko’s dominance in PRIDE helped make the heavyweight one of the early stars of the sport.

“The Last Emperor” later went on to fight for Strikeforce before most recently competing in Bellator, where he formally announced his retirement after coming up short in a rematch with Ryan Bader for the promotion’s heavyweight title earlier this year.

The fact that Emelianenko never got to compete against the best heavyweights in the UFC is something that MMA fans will probably continue to lament for years to come, but once EA Sports UFC 5 releases on October 27 they’ll at least have the chance to play as one of the most beloved and dominant fighters that combat sports has ever seen.

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