Fedor Loss Ultimately Hurts EA Sports MMA

by pastapadre
Posted June 28th, 2010 at 9:12 am

While expectations have been building due to good showings while still in an early state (it showed very well at E3) EA Sports MMA has been hit by a few setbacks that could ultimately damage its potential to break out. Back in April it was a post-Strikeforce event brawl that made the promotion, which acts as the most high profile license involved in EA MMA, look second rate. Now over the weekend co-cover athlete Fedor Emelianenko went down in his fight against Fabricio Werdum submitting after just 69 seconds.

Granted this is essentially Fedor’s first loss ever and had won 28 straight fights over the past 10 years. By no means does the loss remove him from being considered in the upper echelon of fighters. However what it does is makes the marketing of EA Sports MMA even more difficult than it already was. EA can no longer promote the game by labeling Fedor as the best heavyweight in the world let alone the best fighter in the world. Along with Randy Couture the two are the most high profile names involved with the game. It will be tougher to push Fedor as the face of the game given the defeat and Couture is currently fighting in the UFC.

While the loss came out of nowhere many had begun to spot a drop-off in Fedor’s performance. His last several fights have been noticeably unimpressive leading up to the defeat. Despite being highly desired by the UFC Fedor has turned down offers to join in order to avoid losing control over the promotion of his fights. Ever the man to capitalize on news that makes his competitors look bad, UFC president Dana White took pleasure in the loss posting this response following the fight on Twitter which was similar to his reaction after the Strikeforce brawl.

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Willie_frank80

Who really cares anyway? EA had the perfect opportunity to make the UFC Undisputed series but turned it down because they said it wouldn't sell. Now they wanna try to make up for with this crap. A bunch of no-name fighters and the known ones are over the hill. EA will never recover from this genre of games as they won't from Smackdown VS Raw. Damn EA I love the NCAA Football & Madden series but you need to stop depending on those two games to keep u afloat. NBA Jams was the worst idea. Why not instead bring back baseball. Highly disappointed with the way EA is handling things right now. This will be the last year I buy anything they release until they get their shit together.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

double post! ahhhh
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

I don't think it hurts them too bad, I think right now everyone is so surprised about Fedor losing that there is a lot of knee-jerk reaction. It does remove a lot of mystique though. I think whether or not it hurts them will depend on what Fedor's next fight is. He has one more fight on his contract with Strikeforce, but the loss means he won't face overeem. Whoever he fights, he has to win.

Possible fights Strikeforce might be interested in putting him in:
Arlovski rematch (because some fans might want to see it)
Rogers rematch (to try and establish Rogers once again after a string of losses)
Bigfoot Silva (most logical match to me since he lost to Werdum)

There is also the possibility of sending him right into a rematch with Werdum, however from a business standpoint that makes no sense for Strikeforce. If they are smart, they'll put him up against Rogers or Silva, then make Fedor resign for 3 more fights so he has a chance to revenge his loss against Werdum, and work his way to Overeem again (assuming Overeem wins a match against Werdum).

It really is unfair though the attitude people have toward Fedor. Lose one match, and you're no longer the best in the world. Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar has only won four fights in his career (two against the same guy, one against a very overrated and aging Randy Couture, and one against a mediocre heath herring). I'd like to see Fedor in a few more fights before people are so quick to put someone in his place. It's only one fight, and it's not like Fedor even looked bad against Werdum. He knocked him flat on his butt, shrugged off an armbar in typical fashion then just got wreckless and couldn't escape a second time against a very good BJJ artist.
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http://www.facebook.com/richjunkerman Rich Junkerman

thats not fedors first loss lol
http://www.facebook.com/richjunkerman Rich Junkerman

first loss in 10 years
daley7199

If the game is good people will buy it PERIOD! To think that someone won't buy a game because the cover boy lost a fight is purely rediculous. Again Pasta you never cease to amaze how you try to spin drama into every thread. This is a non story.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

EA MMA has tons of fighters that are name. Just because they aren't in the UFC doesn't mean MMA fans don't know about them. I'll name a few that are name, good fighters that aren't over the hill.

Fedor (I don't think he is over the hill, but time will tell)
Alistair Overeem
Gegard Mousasi
Fabricio Werdum
Brett Rogers
Muhammad Lawal
Josh Barnett
Cung Le
Mayhem Miller
Shinya Aoki
Nick Diaz
Jake Shields
Gilbert Melendez
knucklesamitch

It's not his first loss, but it is the first time he has been defeated. His only previous loss was by DQ because in RINGS you could only use elbows if you were wearing an elbow pad and he wasn't. 99.9999999% of MMA fans generally accept the idea that Fedor has never LOST…Until now.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

It's his only loss that people consider real. The first one was an illegal elbow that cut Fedor so the doctor stopped it. It would of been a DQ in favor of Fedor, but it was a tournament format and someone had to advance, so no one considers it a real loss. Especially not the guy who cut him, since Fedor beat him ugly in their rematch lol.

I also think their elbow rule should extend to the UFC. Let people drop elbows, but make them wear elbow pads if they want to do it. The only issue most MMA fans have with elbows is that it creates cuts too easily, even if the fighter isn't hurt at all, which can prematurely end fights. Elbow guards help prevent that.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

I wouldn't say it's a non-story. Fedor losing is a big story, and with him losing drops a ton of his marketing value, which was that of an invincible cyborg. That extends to all arenas, including video games. However, I think a lot of that market value jumps back up provided Fedor doesn't lose again anytime soon.
http://pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

The guys who ran EA at the time that UFC went to them are no longer around. Riccitiello and Moore were not running the company at the time so this idea that “EA” only now wants MMA isn't really correct. It has been in development long before UFC even released last year.

EA will be back into baseball when the 3rd party license expires in two years. MLB has already stated they will not be doing anything exclusive in the future.
http://pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

Maybe you didn't read the article. Where did I say people won't buy it because of a loss to the cover guy? The article is about how it negatively affects the marketing of the game which is undeniable.
MP3

It was his 1st time losing clean, & a flash finish at that. In the fight you're talking about the referee blew a cut on Fedor out of proportion and had the doc stop the fight. So it's not the same thing. Similar situation with Jon Jones' “Loss” to Matt Hammill. Even though everyone thought he won the fight (Hammill included) he was DQed for using Elbows no one knew were illegal but wasn't KO'ed, TKO'ed, Submitted, or lost a decision. Last Saturday's was Fedor's 1st legit loss. Also, props to Werdum for using an Triangle Choke/Americana combination on the Last Emperor.
MP3

Another thing Dana White can say is that a fighter who couldn't cut it in the UFC beat the #1 ranked fighter in the world outside of the UFC. But i don't think the loss hurts Strikeforce or the game that much, overall it was a very good card & if the game is good people will buy it regardless of the coverboy. It's possible Shane Carwin could KO Lesnar this Saturday but i dunno if UFC 2010 could look any worse than it has.
IV THA UNITY

Shinya Aoki is like my favorite mma fighter, and miller is crazy, i wonder if they will have melvin manhoff. Alistair Overeem is steroid freak.. at least he looks that way.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

Melvin Manhoef is in the game too.
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http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

Yeah, Dana is likely going to say that. However the reality is Werdum wasn't cut from the UFC because he wasn't good enough, he was released from the UFC because they wanted him to restructure his contract after his loss to then-up and comer Junior Dos Santos and he refused to. Looking back, I bet Dana White feels silly now for not wanting to pay Werdum adequate value just because he lost to JDS who has become known as a very good fighter now.
knucklesamitch

Last time I checked EA MMA is still the only MMA game that will have Japanese rules, or rings as well as cages. Also, it's the only MMA game that has Fedor, Couture, Shields, Miller, Souza, King Mo, Mousasi, Cung Le, and many others.
Amen Ra

Pasta man stop tripping. A damn brawl after match does nothing but hype the game. you think people are going to not buy a game because they fought after a match? You think anyone cares that Fedor lost? Not many people knew his ass anyway. the game is still going to sell what it will.
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evertheskeptic

I'm not surprised at the loss. Normally Fedor has the real man conditioning, not the I spent hours working on my abs look. But this fight, he just seemed sloppy and unconditioned. I don't know if he's getting bored with the sport, and why not after so many wins, but at least do some preconditioning if you agree to fight. I don't think he's over the hill yet, just tired.
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http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

Amen Ra, did you just say not many people knew Fedor? Better still, did you just imply no one cares that Fedor lost?

And if you did, is there any hope of your credibility on MMA posts ever returning?
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

I don't think his physical conditioning had anything to do with a fight that lasted 69 seconds. It was a loss from defensive technique not from conditioning.
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http://twitter.com/TheLostOnes C.J. Duncan

why do everybody keep saying fedor only really lost once? last time I checked a loss is still a loss regardless of how it's earned.
http://twitter.com/TheLostOnes C.J. Duncan

a loss is a loss even by DQ, it's still a loss. that's the problem right there too many people coddling Fedor.
http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

… Fedor didn't lose by DQ. Fedor was cut by an illegal elbow, and instead of giving Fedor a DQ victory or a no contest, they gave the victory to the guy who cut him because it was tournament format and someone had to advance.

Please watch the actual fight and re-consider what it is you are saying.
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knucklesamitch

Because he “lost” via Dr. Stoppage after an illegal blow. If you're unable to continue after being hit with an illegal blow, you are typically deemed the winner, or at the very least, the fight is considered a no-contest. This particular fight took place in a tournament, and since a winner had to move forward, and Fedor couldn't continue due to the cut, he was given a loss.
Bumble14

Pasta-

I completely disagree. I understand your premise, but hardly think that Fedor's loss will negatively hurt the promotion of the game. Sure, he lost, but he lost on a submission due to a stupid mistake on his part. It's not as if he got beat to a pulp and demonstrated that he's washed up, ala Kimbo did this weekend. I'd be more inclined to agree with the article if Fedor had been completely dominated in that fight, leaving the ring bruised, bloodied, and a shell of his former self.

As it stands now this article is much ado about nothing. Who actually gets excited about a game based on it's marketing campaign/cover athlete anyway? In todays world it's all about gameplay, gameplay, gameplay.
Amen Ra

No one outside of MMA knew about Fedor. this dude ain't not Mike Tyson or Jordan, he isn't transcending the fricking sport. The average person couldn't name you the title holders in MMA. Him losing doesn't hurt the game
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http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

No one outside of MMA knew about Fedor? Well that's great, considering this is an MMA game, and the MMA fan base is the entire point.

They didn't put Fedor on the cover to draw in fans that know nothing about MMA… they put him on there for people that do.
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1664674172 facebook-1664674172

This loss doesn't hurt the game. If a rematch were to take place, there is no doubt that Fedor would win.
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daley7199

Ok and marketing affects sales right? If it doesnt then how something impacts marketing means nothing. What I am saying that using pro athletes as coverboys to market your product IMHO has minimal effect on sales.

For example lets look at EA sports lineup: NBA Elite: Kevin Durant, NHL 11: Jonathan Towes Tiger Woods 11: Tiger/Rory McIlroy, Madden 11: Drew Brees.

Do you honestly think that who graces the cover of these games has any impact on sales what so ever? If you do then you should work for 2k because they are clearly the only ones who do…….Jordan on 2k.

So with EA's MMA title having Fedor on the cover the same rules apply. The sales of the game will have no bearing on who graces the cover and will have everything to do with how the game is recieved. If it did matter don't you think EA would have grabbed Jordan first. They had before and they clearly could have out paid 2k for his rights.

Lets have some sanity here. Cover athletes do nothing for sales of video games at this time. Its more of an honor for the athlete than anything else.