EXCLUSIVE: UFC 2009 Undisputed Full Roster Reveal, Video Interview

  • By BrianEk, GameSpot
  • Posted Mar 19, 2009 11:47 am PT

Ever since THQ lifted the veil on UFC 2009 Undisputed last year, the game has been a beacon of hope for fans who've been looking for a fighting game that makes the most of the mixed martial arts craze. UFC 2009 isn't the first UFC game--the brand has been in videogames since the Dreamcast...

Ever since THQ lifted the veil on UFC 2009 Undisputed last year, the game has been a beacon of hope for fans who've been looking for a fighting game that makes the most of the mixed martial arts craze. UFC 2009 isn't the first UFC game--the brand has been in videogames since the Dreamcast days--but, after some missteps on the PS2 and Xbox, it seems like the right time for UFC to make a comeback in videogames, just as the sport's real-life popularity is skyrocketing.

Recently THQ came by GameSpot HQ to show us an updated build of the game and, more importantly, give us the complete rundown of every fighter in the game. During the visit, THQ's general manager of product development-fighting Colin Mack sat down with our own Ryan MacDonald to get the full roster rundown and talk about some of the game's finer points. Check it out:

Here's the full roster for UFC 2009 Undisputed, with all the fighters organized by weight division. After that, you'll find a Q&A with THQ's senior creative manager John Edwards wherein he discusses the UFC 2009 Undisputed roster, how fighters were picked, and which fighters to look out for in the game.

KEY:
LH: Fighter can switch to Light Heavyweight
MW: Fighter can switch to Middleweight
WW: Fighter can switch to Welterweight
LW: Fighter can switch to Lightweight

Heavyweights
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir Brandon Vera (LH)
Gabriel Gonzaga Cain Velasquez
Cheick Kongo Eddie Sanchez
Heath Herring Andrei Arlovski
Mirko Crocop Fabricio Werdum
Tim Sylvia Mark Coleman
Antoni Hardonk Justin McCully
Light Heavyweights
Chuck Lidell Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Forrest Griffin Tito Ortiz
Keith Jardine Wanderlei Silva
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Lyoto Machida
Rashad Evans Stephan Bonnar
James Irvin Wilson Gouveia (MW)
Houston Alexander Kazuhiro Nakamura
Thiago Silva Tim Boetsch
Ryan Bader (DLC)
Middleweights
Anderson Silva (LH) Rich Franklin (LH)
Dan Henderson (LH) Michael Bisping (LH)
Kendall Grove Chris Leben
Jason MacDonald Nate Marquardt
Drew McFedries Ricardo Almeida
Evan Tanner Yushin Okami
Demian Maia Martin Kampmann (WW)
Amir Sadollah (WW) Thales Leites
Welterweights
Georges St-Pierre Matt Hughes
Matt Sera (LW) Jon Fitch
Karo Parisyan Josh Koscheck
Diego Sanchez Mike Swick (MW)
Marcus Davis Thiago Alves
Chris Lytle Ben Saunders
Josh Burkman Kyle Bradley
Matt Arroyo Anthony Johnson
Lightweights
BJ Penn (WW) Sean Sherk (WW)
Kenny Florian Roger Huerta
Joe Stevenson Mac Danzig
Nathan Diaz Spencer Fisher
Tyson Griffin Gray Maynard
Thiago Tavares Joe Lauzon
Rich Clementi Mark Bocek
Hermes Franca Frank Edgar

Efrain Escudero (DLC)

UFC 2009 Undisputed Roster Q&A with THQ senior creative manager, John Edwards:

GameSpot: Your just-announced roster for UFC 2009 Undisputed features more than 80 fighters, which is obviously a massive list. Can you take us through the process of choosing who made it in to the game and who got left off?

John Edwards: Who and who did not make it onto the final roster for UFC 2009 Undisputed was a collaborative effort between the development team here at THQ and the UFC. One of the best parts about working on this project is the great relationship we have forged with Dana White, Joe Silva, Don Gold and everyone else over at the UFC. Being able to draw upon their knowledge of who was going to be joining or leaving the UFC in the future, or who the new exciting prospects were before anything had been announced to the public, allowed us to create not only a roster of who we personally wanted to see as fans, but also represent who would be the most relevant by the time the game was released.



GS: Obviously, you have some household names on the list--heavyweights like Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, along with other well-known stars like Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, and Tito Ortiz. Who are some of the up-and-comers or lesser-known fighters that you're excited about on the roster?

JE: We have a great batch of fighters like Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn who are hot today, but we felt it was equally important to feature fighters who we think will be hot tomorrow. We worked closely with the UFC's own resident matchmaker, Joe Silva, to make this happen. Fighters like Cain Velasquez, Wilson Gouveia, Demian Maia, Anthony Johnson and Gray Maynard immediately come to mind as lesser known fighters in the game who we think will make big waves in the UFC of the future.

GS: Your fighters are split into five different weight divisions in the game. How will those different weight classes "feel" to someone who plays the game?

JE: The differences are pretty much what fans would expect. Lightweights are in general faster than Welterweights, and Heavyweights are stronger than Light Heavyweights, and so on. This comes through in the game in some important ways; however, that can change strategies depending on the weight class. Heavyweight bouts are definitely more prone to ending in quick knockouts, for example, so while getting knocked out cold is something a player should be aware of in any division, it is way more of a factor when fighting against Brock Lesnar in the Heavyweight division.

GS: How do your fighter ratings work? What attributes does each fighter have? Can attributes change over time?

JE: Fighter ratings are based on an average of all of a fighter's Attributes (Strength, Speed and Cardio) and Fighter Skills (which reflect things like Standing Striking Offense or Submission Defense). Higher overall ratings generally reflect a fighter who is dominant and extremely versatile, exhibiting no major weaknesses.

While a fighter's ratings definitely play into the outcome of a match, player skill represents a much greater factor overall. The game is after all a game, and not a number crunching simulation. It wouldn't be very much fun if there were matchups that were completely unwinnable based on a fighter's Attributes or Fighter Skills, would it? Having said that, Attributes and Fighter Skills are still a very important aspect to the gameplay and ones that make every match play out a little differently from a strategic standpoint by allowing players to craft game plans around a fighter's strengths or weaknesses.

Official UFC fighters are meant to be representations of their real life counterparts, so their attributes are not modifiable.

GS: Some fighters can switch weight classes—for example, Anderson Silva who can go from Middleweight up to Light Heavyweight. How does that work in the game and how does that change the fighter's abilities/attributes?

JE: Fighters who move up in class may exhibit changes in their core Attributes (Strength, Speed or Cardio). Fighters' attributes are relative to the division they are fighting in, so moving up a weight class will generally be reflected with a slightly reduced Strength rating or lower overall Speed due to carrying a little extra muscle or some excess "baggage."

GS: For a UFC beginner, who would you suggest to start with on the roster? Conversely, which fighter(s) do you think caters to an experienced gamer?

JE: Each fighter is directly reflective of his real life counterpart, so for beginners, it is usually beneficial to choose a fighter with a high overall rating. This usually translates in-game to a fighter being well-rounded or being exceptionally gifted in a few critical statistics, which makes it easier for a beginner to succeed as they can concentrate more on all facets of the game and not be overly concerned with any particular deficit. Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson … these are all very beginner-friendly fighters.

Some fighters have unique techniques available only to them that also can facilitate a beginner being better able to compete. Anderson Silva, for example, can pull opponents directly into a Muay Thai clinch by countering a high punch, which is a very powerful technique.

GS: Thanks, John.

208 Comments

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:53 pm PT

    juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:53 pm PT

    juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:51 pm PT

    juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • juwanluella22

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 12:51 pm PT

    the ufc game company should make an update that has a legend pool which contains ken shamrock,randy couture, and royce gracie in it then it would make the game more excirting and people would buy it more

  • jar288

    Posted May 31, 2009 1:27 am PT

    uraia favars?????

  • austin0234

    Posted May 12, 2009 11:05 pm PT

    Nick Diaz should definately be in this game... i hope he is availible as DLC in the future

  • RASTAPUNK777

    Posted May 10, 2009 10:58 am PT

    All of the hall of famers should definatly be in this game. just putting coleman in is ridiculous. if the games career mode is about getting in the ufc hall of fame than i think on just a respect level gracie,shamrock,severn and couture should be in there. It would be amazing if they put in a classic bout mode where you can "relive" classic fights. It would be really fun to have shamrock beat gracie in their first match or have tito take out chuck....... And wouldnt using gracie against lesnar be a REALLY fun and challenging match

  • kbnell

    Posted May 8, 2009 7:09 am PT

    this game looks like the best ufc game ever! i think both randy couture and ken shamrock should be unlockable fighters. dont put them as DLC. also, they should put the ability of putting other weight classes against each other. good choice keeping kimbo out as well.

  • swizzy13

    Posted May 7, 2009 1:22 pm PT

    ok ok i know everyone will probably root me for this bc i get it with my friends all the time but Forrest Griffin is siiiiicccckkkkk. him and andrei are my favs so i am glad they r there (dont know why they wouldnt be but anyways). i hope to god they have DLC down the road that gives you fighters that reall really should be there...more hall of famers and i agree guida should be in.

  • swizzy13

    Posted May 7, 2009 1:16 pm PT

    hey guys who want to know how to play the game better, there is a tutorial on the demo...it tells you how to do everything and lets you try it out for yourself. i used to have trouble beating chuck liddell but know i put a beating on him everytime because it helped me be more technical...check it out

  • thurston2491

    Posted May 6, 2009 2:46 pm PT

    k for everyone having trouble with subs i have played the demo many times well over 200 matches n found some tricks that might help. First what u need to do is turn the stamina bars on so u can tell when ur opponent is completely out then i find it easier rotating the joystick instead of the buttons. these trick work all the way to advance but on expert i can only get the sub when he is rocked. but it works 95% of the time. Good luck. O n they should definately add guida

  • Vividsbricks26

    Posted May 6, 2009 2:45 pm PT

    I disagree completely with neilung..it is far from a flawed game, you're just not executing the subs correctly. Thats what makes this game so special, because it is a challenge. If this game were to make subs as easy as KOs, this will quickly become a boring game, which it is definitely not. I have subbed Chuck many times on expert, and you have to learn how to spin the analog in full circle at moderate speed (without stopping) to pull the sub. Then once you have locked the sub in, you have to spin it a bit faster to tug and pull your way to get the sub completely sunk in. For those who have yet to play the game, ignore neilung and just play the game with the utmost optimism because the submission game will be difficult to grasp at first, but once you get it, it is the most satisfying thing about the game. The game is amazing by the way. Counting down the days until May 19th. This game will be the best fighting game ever made.

  • RAZER83

    Posted Apr 30, 2009 9:36 pm PT

    Im right there with neilung, even thought Ive tryed other way of winning a fight I go right back to heavy kick's and punchs to the head for an easy KO. Hope making your own fighter and playing on line are fun that's what Im looking for on this game.

  • soldier305

    Posted Apr 30, 2009 9:00 pm PT

    are the championships belts included??? can you fight for a title belt in exhibition mode??? im looking forward to battling with my friends for a title belt!!!!

  • ChuckLiddell62

    Posted Apr 28, 2009 2:23 pm PT

    Even though Randy has officially been retired it would have been great if they put him in as a legend or something

  • bendean

    Posted Apr 27, 2009 6:16 pm PT

    so glad they have put diego sanchez in it hes my favorite fighter and i agree with the guy below me if i cant submit liddel with rua where is my advantage?

  • neilung

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 4:13 am PT

    Submissions way to hard to execute

    Been bashing away on this game and its great against friends on Vs, but locking on a submission on Liddle is way, way too hard. I had him down to nothing and he still rolling out on the easiest setting. Its the best fighter on the PS3, but they really need to address this submission problem.

    I want to be able to do everything not just resort to button bashing ending in KOs, which is the quickest way to win. This problem really needs to addressed, otherwise it is a very flawed game. If I buy this (which I will) and find that I cant submit a striker like Chris Leben using BJJ ace like Demian Maia, the game will be flawed. We consumers would have wasted our cash and the game might as well be K1 kick boxing.

    SORT IT OUT.

  • newman_zachary

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 4:34 pm PT

    I just installed the demo, woo woo

  • ImTheCody

    Posted Apr 18, 2009 7:54 am PT

    Middleweights
    Anderson Silva (LH) this is all you need

  • MMAFighter45

    Posted Apr 15, 2009 10:20 am PT

    I like the roster but there is one person they should have atleast for a DLC......ROYCE GRACIE!!! He really deserves to be in this game due to the fact that he is one of the best bjj fighters in the world and probably the best bjj fighter in the ufc.

  • IPROIDIGY41

    Posted Apr 4, 2009 2:01 pm PT

    WHAT no Clay " the carpenter" Guida he is my favorite fighter in his division i can't belive they would leave him out and i think the whole thing with RFandy is retarted n they should do wht baseball did n make a guy named sumthin random but wit randys attributes other than that this game is goin to be awesome i can't wait till may 19

  • Juggernauter

    Posted Apr 4, 2009 5:55 am PT

    Why not Rameau Sokoudjou i LOVE his rasta. WHY GOD WHY

  • Gr2211

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 1:15 pm PT

    This game is gonna be sick!!!!

  • Bulse

    Posted Apr 1, 2009 5:16 pm PT

    Its awesome that Cro Cop is in
    But i am missing Randy and Matt Hamill

  • Educat3dF00l

    Posted Mar 31, 2009 10:04 am PT

    lol @ people thinkin fedor will ever be in the UFC.......

  • BigDog333187

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 3:57 pm PT

    With the fighters that are missing, and the fighters from other organizations I'm dying to create on the game, the create-a-fighter better be really good. That's one of the few things I haven't seen much of

  • HershalCrusto

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 12:59 pm PT

    don't be surprised if Fedor gets added as DLC at some point, I've heard he is in contract talks with the UFC

  • filipino78

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 2:42 am PT

    you should add Phillip Nover as a DLC

  • crocop88

    Posted Mar 28, 2009 3:06 am PT

    if only fedor was in the game

  • jar288

    Posted Mar 25, 2009 4:44 pm PT

    was irahia favors in it?

  • c88mikesell88

    Posted Mar 25, 2009 4:30 pm PT

    randy should be there deff and idc if he does have deal. name his guy andy couture lol

  • n0les02

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 9:45 pm PT

    Randy has a exclusive deal with EA for the mma game there working on thats why there is no Randy, just like there was never a Jordan in basketball nor a Bonds in baseball, because they had there own deals elsewhere

  • n8rockerasu

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 9:26 pm PT

    Yeah, Machida is in the game. Under LH, 2nd column, 4th row. I'll echo the better question that everyone has been asking though: WHERE THE HELL IS RANDY??? Somebody mentioned contract disputes, and that's plausible, but Randy reupped with UFC on 9/2/08. That's PLENTY of time to get him in here. I'm hoping they're saving him as like a final "boss" in the game or something. Not having Randy in it just wouldn't be right.

  • Jerelock13

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 8:38 pm PT

    Lyoto Machida IS in the game. Yes you can create your own fighter.

  • c88mikesell88

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 7:51 pm PT

    WHERE IS CLAY GUIDA???

  • jrama

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 7:05 pm PT

    Can you Create your fighter in this game...

  • asmcaiman

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 1:51 pm PT

    HOW DO YOU NOT INCLUDE THE BEST UP AND COMING FIGHTER IN THE UFC IN A UFC GAME? LYOTO MACHIDA .... WHAT THE HELL IS WROGN WITH U DEVS?

  • dudu22

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 10:39 am PT

    I would really appreciate if my compatriot Vitor Belfort be at this game

  • Mason-McGlasson

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 7:43 am PT

    Where is Rand Couture!?!? Even if he is leaving the UFC soon or retiring, he should still be in the game. Maybe we have to unlock him or he will be DLC (DLC on a major fighter is ghey

  • littlemoex0001

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 1:31 am PT

    where the hell is Randy Couture? seriously?

  • dayday_133

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:48 pm PT

    wheres the blood and gore its going to be awesome though

  • rocketraydog

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 4:49 pm PT

    This game so going to be hot!!!

  • Lumbeast

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 4:14 pm PT

    Kimbo never fought in the UFC that's why he's not on the roster. Dunno why you'd want him in the game anyways, terrible MMA fighter, should've stuck to fighting guys and putting the videos on youtube. I wish Guida was in the game as well. There are alot of guys I wish were on the roster, I guess they couldn't add everyone. Glad to see Fisher and Tyson Griffin in there though.

  • jreynolds150

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 2:13 pm PT

    Where's the blood and gore? Come on its UFC! I wanna see it break bad!

  • Savior24

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 2:01 pm PT

    OMG I can NOT wait!!! May 19 can't come fast enough!!!

    2009...The Year of the Fighter!!!

  • TheRandom6 posted Mar 23, 2009 6:25 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    TheRandom6

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 6:25 am PT (hide)

    Screw all those bums you guys mentioned, WE WANT KIMBO!

  • crocop88

    Posted Mar 22, 2009 7:30 pm PT

    alex cardenas its me jesse

  • crocop88

    Posted Mar 22, 2009 7:29 pm PT

    it almost makes me not want to buy it

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