As a massive UFC fan, I look forward to every new entry in the franchise. There’s nothing quite like jumping into the octagon, throwing down with your favourite fighters and chasing that championship glory we all crave. Developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts, UFC 6 aims to deliver the most authentic MMA experience to date, building on everything fans have loved in previous games, whilst introducing much-needed love and improvements. The real question is: Can UFC 6 deal that knockout blow, or will it get caught in a grapple?

There is one thing I look forward to in a new UFC game: whether it actually feels like a genuine step forward or just another roster update. Thankfully, UFC 6 brings a fair number of updates. I was a massive fan of the new “Flow State” system, which is easily one of the standout additions, rewarding players for fighting the way their chosen fighter fights in real life. Whether you’re putting constant pressure on opponents like Max Holloway or looking for that one fight-ending shot like Alex Pereira has shown us time and time again, it has made the game feel more real than ever before and makes using actual fighters more meaningful.

I’m always excited to see who gets to win the cover athlete, and EA, bravo, you have nailed it this year with Alex Pereira standing front and centre of the Standard Edition after becoming one of UFC’s most feared knockout artists, while fan favourite Max Holloway earns his spot on the Ultimate Edition thanks to his stories both inside and outside the Octagon. EA has captured what UFC is all about, and both fighters were deserving choices to represent UFC 6.

Personally, “The Legacy” story mode was a fantastic addition to UFC 6 and a much stronger way to kick off your journey than simply jumping into previous Career Modes. After playing it through, I found myself thoroughly invested in the story of Chris Carter, a talented wrestler trying to make a name for himself in the MMA while living up to his father’s legacy. The narrative focuses heavily on friendship, loyalty, ambition and rivalry, with tensions growing between you and some fellow fighters. I really liked how the developers created a story that develops both inside and outside the octagon with social media reactions, commentary, and constantly changing relationships.

I was also a fan of how it taught a lot of the UFC game mechanics naturally through the gameplay instead of throwing you into tiring tutorials, making it feel like you are learning with Chris. The gym sessions, training camps and the story-driven moments did a great job of keeping the pace moving smoothly, and the seamless transition into Career Mode was a really nice touch. As someone who enjoys a good sports career mode, I found The Legacy to be an engaging and surprisingly personal story that added far more depth to UFC 6 than I was expecting.  I did need to restart the game a couple of times, as it would bug out after a fight into a weird camera mode, which was frustrating.

Following on from “The Legacy”, UFC Career Mode feels like the biggest evolution the mode has seen in years, and after spending time with it, I found it far more engaging than simply grinding through fight after fight. This time around, you’re thrown straight into the UFC, which I actually preferred as it gets you facing top-level competition much earlier and cuts out the slow build-up from previous games, which became a drag. I liked how much importance the social media interactions, text messages, career events, and rivalries are, as they all have a real impact on your fighter’s progression, affecting everything, even the hype behind the fights.

The expanded narrative system adds a lot more personality to your career, with plenty of choices and risk-versus-reward moments that can completely change how your journey unfolds. I also enjoyed the redesigned Career Hub, which holds training, fitness, upcoming fights and social media all together in the same place, which made me quite happy. Regardless, if you are continuing on from The Legacy or creating a brand-new fighter, UFC Career Mode does a great job of making you feel like you’re living the highs, lows and pressure of being a UFC fighter rather than ticking some boxes like previous years.

Hall of Legends ended up being one of the biggest surprises for me in UFC 6. After spending some time exploring the mode, it’s clear that this isn’t just another collection of highlights or career stats but a genuine celebration of some of the biggest names in UFC history. The mode features Max Holloway, Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili. The Hall of Legends lets you step into three fully custom museums that showcase their journeys, cultures, struggles and the obvious rise to UFC greatness. Walking through each museum actually felt super immersive, with themed rooms packed full of documentary footage and interesting information about each fighter’s story and life.

I really enjoyed that you didn’t feel rushed, with the game allowing you to explore at your own pace, and really soak in the history. I really liked that there were three fight podiums per museum, which truly blended cinematic storytelling and gameplay, allowing you to jump into some of the most iconic moments from each fighter’s career. If you complete the challenges in the fights, you unlock exclusive rewards, whilst showcasing how the real fights played out, making the whole experience super enjoyable. As an avid UFC fan, the Hall of Legends gave me a much deeper appreciation for the athletes and the paths they needed to take to reach where they are today.

The Gym is one of those features that quietly adds a little more depth to the game than I had expected. The Gym acts as a central hub for pretty much everything outside of fighting. It gives you a place to manage your roster, track challenges, monitor progression and customise your profile all in one spot. I actually enjoyed the recruitment system, where you use trainers to scout and sign new fighters, adding a bit more strategy to building a roster that reflects your own personal style. Once you’ve recruited the fighters, you can take them into any mode to earn XP and unlock some exclusive content.

I liked that everything remains cosmetic, meaning there’s no pay-to-win or stat advantages affecting gameplay balance. Instead, The Gym feels like a fun way to show support for your favourite fighters, unlock unique customisation options, and stay engaged with the wider UFC Roster. It’s not the flashiest feature in UFC 6, but after spending time with it, I found it adds another layer of progression that keeps rewarding you no matter which mode you’re playing.

Punch Card is another great feature in UFC 6. Instead of grinding fights aimlessly for the sake of unlocking things, Punch Card gives you a list of challenges and objectives to complete across different game modes. It’s a super simple feature on paper, which I’m all for, but it keeps giving you a reason to go back and earn more progression. Regardless if you were jumping online, working through career mode or just having a couple of quick fights, there will always be something you’re working towards. The rewards aren’t game-changing by any means, but they provide you enough incentive to keep going back for me. You can earn new cosmetics, unlockables and bonuses, so it’s worth doing to get it all.

If you are new to UFC, you will be overwhelmed, and that’s putting it nicely. The sheer amount of striking, grappling, submissions and defensive mechanics overwhelmed me, and I’ve been playing these titles since 2009 with UFC Undisputed. “Learn” does a great job of breaking everything down to bite-sized pieces without feeling like you’re sitting through a boring tutorial we all hate. I even touched base with it and re-educated myself on some fundamentals I had forgotten over the years. You can learn things like throwing combinations, surviving on the ground or even something as simple as managing your stamina. Learning is one of those features that is great for newcomers while still offering value to experienced players.

I sound like a broken record when talking about “Create A Fighter” because it’s not something I necessarily dive into too far, because I want the action, but it’s a massive part of these games, and some people make some truly cooked-looking fighters, which amuses me. You can customise anything from the appearance to the walkout presentations to the fighting style and skill progression, so there is plenty of customisation there if you want to utilise it.

Event Creator is another feature that added a surprising amount of replayability to UFC 6. As someone who has quite a vivid imagination, the stuff you could make up was actually quite cool. You can have those fantasy matchups, stacked fight cards, which UFC needs to start doing for the Australian shows! I was a big fan of being able to do what you wanted, so you weren’t necessarily locked into a certain ruleset. You could have Alex Pereira fighting Jon Jones, or an entire card made up of Lightweight vs Heavyweight, the world is your oyster.

If you’ve played UFC games, you’ll feel more or less right at home with UFC 6’s controls, but there are enough improvements across the board to make the fights feel smoother and more responsive. The striking remains easy to pick up and difficult to master, with combinations flowing naturally, and the implementation of the new Flow State system really encourages you to fight how your fighter would. Timing, distance management and reading your opponent all feel more important this time around. The grappling and submissions system feels more refined compared to previous years.

That all being said, I did run into one issue that I honestly can’t tell you what caused it, apart from possibly an update or some strange AI tuning. During several quick flights against the AI, I would throw a combination that should have landed super clean, only for my opponent to suddenly pull off what can only be described as Matrix-level evasive manoeuvres. Fighters would just spin and miss my fists, which in turn pissed me off, so I would throw more and keep missing. These moments made it feel less like fighting UFC fighters and trying to throw a punch at Neo. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely led to some frustrating moments where the AI’s reactions felt a little too perfect.

Visually, UFC 6 is hands down the best the series has ever looked. Thanks to all the improvements made to the Frostbite Engine, fighter models look incredibly detailed, with realistic facial features, tattoos, body types and damage effects that become much more noticeable as the fights progress. From the walkouts and fighter introductions to the bright lights shining down on the Octagon, everything feels authentic and true to a UFC broadcast. What really blew me away was the presentation of the arenas and the Octagon itself.

I’m not entirely sure what EA changed this time around, but there were moments where I genuinely felt like I was watching a live UFC event on TV rather than sitting there playing a video game. The lighting, crowd, atmosphere, camera angles and overall production quality feel incredibly real and alive. As a long-time UFC fan, there were times I would sit there and just appreciate how close the game looked to a pay-per-view broadcast.

Sound design in UFC 6 plays a huge role in selling the overall experience, and it honestly does a stellar job of pulling you into each fight. From the moment you load into an event, you get that classic UFC broadcast feel with the crowd building, commentators hyping up the match, and the atmosphere rising when you walk out.

There isn’t really a traditional “soundtrack” during fights, which actually works in its favour, as that would be annoying as hell. The game leans heavily into the environmental audio, and that is where it shines. The crowd reacts dynamically to what is happening. You can hear every punch, every kick, and the slams carry weight, which gets you pumped up to keep kicking some ass.

UFC feels like a genuine step forward for the series rather than just another roster refresh. From the new Flow Stace system and improved controls to the massive upgrades in presentation, visuals, and sound, it really nailed that authentic UFC broadcast feel. Overall, UFC 6 is the closest the franchise has come to truly capturing the feeling of fight night. It’s immersive, content-rich and packed with personality and as the great Bruce Buffer would say, “IT’S TIMEEEEEEEE”.

Written by: Hayden Nelson