Make sure to peek at your stamina so you don’t gas out while moving as it may be necessary to halt your progress for a second or two during the process. Hold right or left to fight back to half guard and continue the directional hold to get up. Finding yourself on the bottom is usually not an auspicious place, unless attempting a high level submission. Available options are shown by a HUD display and vary depending on the current position. Once the fight goes horizontal, transitions are handled with gesturing said right stick in highlighted directions. Attempt a takedown with R2 and right stick towards the opponent and thwart a shot with R2 and right stick down. UFC 3 continues to nudge closer in this regard. Admittedly, the gap was narrowed in the sequel, but there was still a noticeable difference in pacing. Mat work lagged behind its on-the-feet counterpart by a decent margin in the first game. Stand up continues to be the stronger gameplay paradigm. Movement is natural and fluid, providing a stable platform for correct positioning and “Octagon control” to occur. There’s better snap to all strikes and the door for counters after successful blocks opens faster. Speed is about what it was two years ago, but it all seems more crisp. Flicking the right stick offers fast parries, allowing you to trade salvo “in the pocket” with lessened damage. This makes it easy to commit to cognitive and eventually muscle memory. Defense has been simplified a bit, with R2 blocking high and R2+L2 shielding low. Tapping circle with triangle or X with square commands a quick, in close missile to the chin that can prove to be a decisive blow when the other participant is on red bar. The coolest may be R1, which engages a fighter’s signature assault so you can swing with flair! My favorite go to maneuver is the uppercut. Want to throw a ‘bow? Hold R2 with triangle or square. The R/L suite is used as modifiers for advanced, powerful significant strikes as well as swinging knees and elbows to unleash all “eight weapons.” Couple X or circle with L1 to execute a brain jarring head kick. Taps equate to jabs, straights, and low leg kicks. Each fist and leg are assigned to one of the four face buttons. What’s been effective for six years worth of games is striking. Staying in-step, the first quarter of ’18 brings us UFC 3, another at bat for the EA Canada development team to clean up lacking aspects and fine tune the positive aspects. On a ~24 month cycle, UFC 2 followed in 2016. EA acquired the Ultimate Fighting Championship rights from the THQ rubble and debuted with the first UFC in 2014. Although consistently on the “arcade” side, the fighting systems worked very well, had stellar collision detection for 2012, and offered Pride FC fighters and presentation for good measure. Venerable in it’s own right, THQ’s Undisputed line of the last generation got better with each release, culminating in the astute Undisputed 3.