Showtime Pettis changed the way EA Sports developed new UFC 2014 video game

Meet Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, who is a "game changer" when it comes to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Literally.

"Showtime," who reclaimed the 155-pound strap in the UFC 164 main event last month in Milwaukee (video), has been known for his diversified attack, one that includes an underrated ground game, as well as flashy-but-effective strikes, like the much-ballyhooed "Showtime Kick."

Sorry, button mashers.

To account for his dynamic offense, EA Sports is reworking the mechanics in its upcoming UFC video game, to allow players the opportunity to take full advantage of individual fighters and how they perform inside the Octagon. Gone are the days of "one move fits all."

Creative Director Brian Hayes breaks it down for IGN.com:

"There's a lot more variety in terms of the strikes you can perform in a game like UFC, especially with some of the fighters doing the things that they're doing now - like the cage-based strikes that Anthony "Showtime" Pettis does - so we never had to worry about a guy running and jumping off the side of the cage and doing a roundhouse kick against his opponent in Fight Night, but it's a great challenge to have now that we're working on EA Sports UFC, and there's certainly some things we've learnt, just about how we should approach stamina in a fighting game like this, and how should we approach health and damage, stun states and different mechanics like that. There's a wealth of knowledge on the gameplay team to help us start with a leg up in that regard."

And lest you think it's all style and no substance...

"Say you're fighting Dan Henderson. Well guess what? His overhand right is a nuclear bomb. You need to watch out for that overhand right. We can do those same sort of scenario-based challenges to bring a story about that particular fight to life in a career mode experience without having to send your character to prison and be assaulted by, y'know, Aryan gangs, or whatever."

Is it too early to pre-order?

See the EA Sports UFC 2014 video game preview trailer for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One here. For an early look at the "Ignite" in-game footage, starring UFC 165 headliners Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, click here. The game is currently scheduled for release next spring.

You buying?