EA MMA: Set to release summer 2010More Than Thirty Personalities Announced or Rumored; Mostly Strikeforce Alum, UFC Veterans
Since announcing the development of their forthcoming sports title, EA Sports MMA, expected to debut late this summer on both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, EA has been steadily acquiring an impressive and growing stable of fighters to appear in the game. Though athletes currently signed with M-1 Global and DREAM will appear in large part, it seems that the talent found in Strikeforce makes up the majority contingent thus far.

It was announced Thursday and again reiterated during the Showtime broadcast of Strikeforce: Miami this past Saturday that five more Strikeforce athletes will appear in the soon-to-debut EA sports title.

EA announced that Bobby Lashley, Marius Zaromskis, Joe Riggs, Melvin Manhoef and Nick Diaz will appear on the EA Sports MMA roster, in addition to the other twenty-plus athletes that have already been confirmed to appear in the game.

The game’s star-studded roster includes both fighters currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (Randy Couture), fighters that have previously competed in the UFC (Renato Sobral, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Matt Lindland, Nick Thompson, Randy Couture, Jeff Monson), Strikeforce-exclusive veterans (Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Frank Shamrock), and DREAM-signed talent (Shinya Aoki, Hidehiko Yoshida, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Joachim Hansen).

The announcement solidifies Lashley as the second athlete to make an appearance in both the licensed video games of a legitimate pro-wrestling faction (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and an established mixed martial arts promotion (Strikeforce), as Brock Lesnar was the first (WWE / UFC).

"It's cool that I can play as myself in two different kinds of video games now," Lashley said in an interview with ESPN.com this past Thursday. "I just hope that EA Sports rates me like a 95 or a 96 overall. I hate to lose."

UFC President Dana White has been vocal about his displeasure with EA Sports in their independent venture, previously detailing to press that EA had shunned a prior attempt to couple-up with the video game sports giant, who elected later to forge their own competitive effort alongside the likes of Strikeforce and DREAM. Though their alignment was not announced until well after UFC Undisputed 2009 was release, polished screenshots and live-action footage was shown of what looked to be a game well underway in its development phases.

It’s conceivable that EA was planning a foray into the world of video game mixed martial arts well before the UFC ever proposed the idea to them.

"EA Sports told us ‘You're not a real sport, we wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this,’" claims White, who says EA’s sudden change of heart is a slap in the face to fans and athletes alike.

White’s gone on to quote in other interviews that those fighters involved in EA’s effort may ultimately end-up blacklisted from the UFC, though competitor and UFC veteran Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture is still said to be involved in the game, and will fight veteran Mark Coleman this month.

"You know what the difference is?" White rhetorically asked. "I'm in the mixed martial arts business. EA isn't. EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear."

In all actuality, White seems to preserve his organization’s stake as a modus operandi. Anything that presents a competitive angle or operational adversity to the UFC is something he detests, to the point of slanted commentary and disparaging ultimatums to the subject alternate brand. Testimonials of this can assuredly be found with Randy Couture, as well as Tito Ortiz, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

As of February 1st, 2010, a list of 30 fighters and personalities either announced or rumored to appear in the game include:

EA Sports has signed on the likeness of the Strikeforce promotion as a “Premier League”, perhaps explaining the emphasis on their roster and the athletes in the game who are involved with the organization.

EA Sports MMA is due out late summer of 2010.

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