So if you don’t fancy getting decked by Khabib… you don’t need to.
UFC 4 will, for the first time, allow you to turn down fights from the UFC, EA has confirmed.
Speaking to RealSport, UFC 4 Creative Director Brian Hayes, revealed that player choice was at the heart of the game’s overhauled Career Mode - where every one of your actions will have a consequence.
More choices, more consequences
“The biggest thing we focused on throughout the career mode trends this year was really trying to give the player more choices, and then to make sure that every one of those choices has consequences, and has an impact on the direction of your career,” he said during the interview.
NOT THIS TIME! You can turn down fight offers, if you're not quite ready!
“Probably the single most obvious example of a new choice that you didn't have in career mode previously that you have now, is the ability to accept or decline a fight offer from the UFC.”
So, unlike the last game where you’d have to accept a pummeling from the likes of Khabib or cover-star Jorge Masvidal, you’re now able to choose whether or not you want to rise to the challenge.
READ MORE: UFC Gameplay - Everything we know so far
“In previous iterations of the game they may have said, 'Hey, you've got a fight offer to face Khabib!' and you just have to say, 'well, that sucks for me, guess I've got to fight Khabib!” laughed Hayes.
“Whereas now, if that situation were to arise in the UFC or career mode you can say, actually you know what, I'm totally 100% sure I'm not ready to fight Khabib right now.”
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: Turning down fights could lead to some weighty consequences
Before you think about avoiding EVERY fight, think again.
“We do have a mechanic where if you decline too many fights against the UFC they may actually end up saying, well actually you know what, we're going to sever your contract, you go back down to the minor leagues,” Hayes explained.
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“You have to make those decisions about what fights do you want to take, and when - and what ramifications that can have on your career.”
Fighter Evolution System
That’s not the only new feature coming to the game. Hayes revealed a new ‘real-time’ fighter ‘evolution’ system is on the way, too.
“There are also choices in terms of the way you evolve your character's attributes and abilities, that is actually determined by a new real-time fighter evolution system.
READ MORE: EA "always interested in exploring" new special characters in UFC
“If you want to improve moves, you better start practising them. And if you want to make sure you don't become too one dimensional as a fighter, you need to actually vary up what you're doing in fights.
“The way you choose to attack your opponent, the strikes you choose to practice actually affect the way your fighter develops throughout their career.”
READ MORE: UFC 4 - How submissions will almost be as technical as the real thing
UFC lands on 14 August 2020 across PS4 and Xbox One. You can pre-order it right here.
PRE-ORDER: UFC 4 for Xbox One and PS4