Bruce Lee vs. Bruce Leeroy?
It can happen, now that Electronic Arts (EA) has revealed martial arts legend Bruce Lee as its "mystery fighter" for the upcoming EA Sports UFC video game, expected to hit store shelves in June.
See the EA Sports UFC cover photo for Xbox ONE and PlayStation 4 right here.
Lee is perhaps most famous for his groundbreaking chop-socky flicks, including The Big Boss, Fists of Fury, Way of the Dragon and of course, Enter the Dragon. While mainstream audiences knew him best as the butt-kicking actor, he was also a pioneer in martial arts, developing the groundwork for modern mixed martial arts (MMA) through his "Jeet Kun Do" hybrid fighting system.
"The father of mixed martial arts, if you will, was Bruce Lee," UFC President Dana White told Knuckle Pit (via Fight Times). "If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything. You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away."
So, how do you play as the "Little Dragon?"
Well, you can pre-order the game now (find out how here) and get access to him on day one. Or you can wait, buy the game in June, then finish "career mode" on pro difficultly (or higher) to unlock Lee for play in the flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions.
The matchmaking possibilities are endless!
Looking to outdo THQ's "Undisputed" series, EA Sports will feature the IGNITE engine, which will allow for more realistic movements from all your favorite fighters. And judging by this early trailer, the new feature will definitely enhance every gamer's experience.
This isn't EA's first venture into the MMA world. The video game giant first dipped its toe into the combat sports water with Strikeforce in 2010 as they introduced "MMA." But that was a one-and-done deal as sales didn't exactly go through the roof.
The UFC/EA partnership, however, promises to last longer than one installment and by the looks of it, they are off to a mighty fine start.
As real as it gets?
Watch the full "I Am Bruce Lee" video documentary here and then check out some additional EA Sports UFC previews here and here.