UFC 4 Reveal: 10 Things We Want To See

Well, it seems the cat is finally out of the bag.

During a press conference following UFC on ESPN 11 last Saturday, Dana White fielded questions from the media and seemed to indicate that the promotion is planning on unveiling the latest instalment in the EA UFC franchise at UFC 251 held on 'Fight Island' in the UAE.

Though it isn't currently clear just how much is going to be revealed in the upcoming event, the release schedule based on prior entries seems to indicate the game will be out no later than this time next year.

Fans have been waiting patiently for a new game in the series ever since the release of 2018's EA UFC 3, that while popular, drew criticisms for being overly repetitive.

With the UFC being one of the few organisations to continue holding events amidst the current global situation there is no better time than to unveil an upcoming game as fans are baying for more MMA-related content.

EA has largely done a great job with the UFC series so far, but some improvements could go a long way in making UFC 4 the magnum opus of the franchsie.

Though the sport of mixed martial arts is now properly sanctioned and recognised as, well, a sport, things haven't always been that way. When the UFC held its first event back in 1993, the term MMA hadn't even been coined, and the action on display seemed a lot more blood sport than combat sport.

So why not pay tribute to the early days of the sanctioned fist fighting by allowing players to travel back to the no-holds-barred era of the UFC? Imagine being able to utilise Khabib Nurmagomedov's top pressure to unleash a barrage of headbutts on your opponent, or being forced to conserve your fighter's energy as you attempt to make your way through three gruelling bouts in the same night to be a UFC tournament champion.

Of course, while the likelihood that EA would actively acknowledge and promote the UFC's ultra-violent past with an NHB mode is slim to nil, a man can dream...